Kingdom Come
by peterpauper
Summary: "I don't want to let you drown, but we're hell bound." Sequel to Into the Dark.
1. Authors Note

**Kingdom Come**

* * *

Hello readers, its good to be back.

This is just a general authors note to let you know that this is where the new story, "Kingdom Come" is going to be posted.  
I have finally seen "Thor: The Dark World" and am consequently now able to begin on writing a story that continues the plot of Ava and Loki thus far. For anyone new, please note that this story is the third in a series that follows "Thor" and "Avengers" before finally reaching this point with "Thor: The Dark World".  
Expect a preface to come in the next day or so.  
I have been keeping a tumblr for Ava where I can record anything that I feel inspires her in me. Its URL is ava-sijur dot tumblr dot com and I hope you find something in there that clicks with what your image is for Ava and helps you feel some of the direction I will be taking with her for the coming story. I also have a blog myself where I record just general inspirations and things that I feel might inspire you as well. Its peterpauper dot tumblr dot com.  
Please feel free to contact me here or on my tumblr if you want to ask anything or let me know what you'd like from the coming story.

For those of you have not seen "Thor: The Dark World" this story WILL contain spoilers and I would hate to ruin any of the plot twists for you before you've seen the film.

I hope you're all well; I'm sorry I was gone so long. Life was hugely busy but I am so glad to be back and I am so excited for this new chapter for Ava and Loki.

Blessings,  
P.

p.s) A HUGE shout out to basestsentimentality on tumblr for helping me stay in touch with Loki during the gap between films. It was easy to keep tabs on Ava but Loki was harder because I had no insight into who he would be or what would happen, but basestsentimentality has been inspiring sides to the character I could not have been in touch with without her and for that I am hugely grateful.


	2. Preface

**Preface**

* * *

_Let me not to the marriage of true minds_

_ Admit impediments. Love is not love_  
_ Which alters when it alteration finds,_  
_ Or bends with the remover to remove._  
_ Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark_  
_ That looks on tempests and is never shaken._  
_ It is the star to every wandering bark,_  
_ Whose worth's unknown although his height be taken._  
_ Love's not Time's fool, though rose lips and cheeks_  
_ Within his bending sickle's compass come._  
_ Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,_  
_ But bears it out even to the edge of doom._  
_ If this be error and upon me proved,_  
_ I never writ, nor no man ever loved._

_(William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116)_

0-0-0-0

There is something in love that changes you. It does not alter the fundamental aspects of who you are, but it accepts that evolution must occur as a person develops through life, and that such evolution can move with or away from another to which a heart is bound.

There is something in betrayal that feels so much like love. It seems transcendent, it wrenches at the gut and toys with the mind and makes sleep a listless, unfulfilled effort.

One must laugh at such similarities, at the tight ties that see two whole things become fragments of a single life. Of a set of lives. Of a pair.

Yet, most of all the thing that inspires evolution, that holds tight to love and hope and tries its best to forgive the hurt of betrayal…that thing is darkness. It is only with darkness that all the light and warmth of love can be truly appreciated; it is only with the dawn that it can be understood. Maybe such understanding means looking back with a smile and moving ahead alone, and maybe it means so much more when taking another's hand and walking forward with them.

It is all consuming. It will drown you if you do not drown yourself first. Darkness, betrayal…love. Whatever it all means probably doesn't matter because what it does is the most important aspect of all.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Asgard came upon them with its usual brightness, sucking a trio wreathed in sadness from the rubble of New York and into the city. The Tesseract brought them in, its power hungry and intense.

Ava did not remember much about arriving back. She knew she was still injured, she knew Loki was taken away in chains and that she was put under guard as healers tended to her wounds. Thor had vanished and once again she had been alone. It had felt different that time though; it had not been so lonely.

Her parents had come quickly, her father's voice booming in its low tones as he questioned her, as he asked what she had been thinking. Her mother just stood there; she was unable to do anything, unable to wade into the sea to save her child, unable to comprehend her anymore.

Ava had stayed silent. The healers had lulled her into a deep sleep and removed a few pieces of armour fragment that remained embedded in her side. They sewed her shut and left her with a small, neat little scar. It was the only token she had of New York; of Loki's fall, of his betrayal. He had betrayed her, left her alone in the dark and the cold; in a place where she remained with naught but the brief glimmers of light she had seen in him.

The blonde was given a week to recover and then she was taken before Odin with a cohort of guards. They did not believe her story about how she got to Midgard. Dark Elves had not been seen on Asgard for some time. But of two things Ava was certain: She owed a Dark Elf a favour, and perhaps she had not thought on his origins as her heart had blindly led her after more pain.

Odin put it down to mind control. He put it on Loki. Another burden for the God of Mischief to carry. Ava had opened her mouth to argue but was stopped by a hand on her arm. By Frigga's touch. The woman's gaze was kind, and in it was something familiar. There was another woman who believed in Loki's light, who had hope. Maybe she was not so alone after all.

But Ava had still broken the laws of Asgard in running off to Earth, in riding the dark magic that had sent Thor off, in defying the All Father. The woma stood before Odin with this knowledge and waited.

The columns of the room seemed like giants with eyes, the throne its own force that wheeled around the one who sat on it. Armour gleamed as the guards stood tall, and the eyes of Thor were silent. He did not defend her, just as she did not defend herself. Ava stood in silence and let it grow around her. She stood and waited and ground her teeth on themselves.

"I believe Loki is to blame for your misdeeds." Odin spoke in his strong tones, his voice rolling through the expanse of the room with a familiar ease. "But I also believe you knew, at least partially, what you were doing. I cannot excuse such a matter. You are denied visitation rights to the dungeon where your lover is kept, you may not see him ever again, and you are to be put under constant surveillance. Frigga has offered to supervise you; you are to remain in her care and to pray her heart can soften yours once more. You shall, until I deem otherwise, go only from your home into my wife's care and back again. You are to do nothing without her consent. You are to see no one without her knowledge. and you are to consider yourself lucky that I do not throw you in the dungeon too, but I have a feeling you would not mind it so much. Your father is my friend and you have disappointed him and your realm. Your days will be spent bettering yourself. You will become what you were."

The All Father eyed the woman before him, her gaze grey and cool like the sea breeze before a storm. She simply nodded, dropped into a respectful curtsey, and turned her attention to Frigga.

Ava had changed, that much was evident. But into what…no one was sure. She had so many questions buzzing through her head, so many shards of glass piecing into her heart. She was in that darkness, in the inky black, but she was not lost nor blind anymore.

The blonde's expression softened a little at the sight of her father, the slight red rim around her eyes making itself apparent as she left the throne room.

"Am I to have no peace?" Her voice was soft and low, the tones as gentle as a summer's day. "Am I to find no rest?"

"That was lenient." Her mother mentioned dryly. "The All Father has been kind."

"No, The All Father has been a King. He has not been kind. That is the difference between kings and men."

"And what is the difference between men who would be king and the king himself?"

Ava turned her gaze to the woman who had born her, who had saved her. She let her hand fit against the fingers of her mother's "Ambition is not an abomination, mother."

The blonde had become harder, she had become detached. Loki was in prison and she not allowed to see him; not even for closure, not to talk, not to say all the unsaid things that lingered between them. Her thumb ran over the underside of the black ring she wore, its lightness a reminder of why she had given the stone to him and its colour an ironic foreshadowing. It felt like it had been so long ago, like an eternity had passed between them with her clinging to him and he waiting for her to find him.

She felt that he must have been so lonely in that darkness. So cold. So raw. And now…he remained there but at least he was home. Ava glanced up at some girls as they wandered through the hallways of Asgard's palace, their eyes purposefully staying from her and their whispers evident. Ava had become isolated, a traitor. They saw her as dark when she had only ever been light. Maybe that was what it was like to be Loki.

Frigga stepped in the way of Ava's gaze, breaking it with her easy smile. "I hope you are not upset. I tried to get you the best outcome."

The blonde blinked and looked to the queen of Asgard. "You did well. I thank you greatly. But I still hold to my word – a dark elf sent me, not Loki. Going to Midgard was my doing and he should not be punished for it."

"The dark elves have been gone for hundreds of years, Ava." Frigga mentioned softly.

"Maybe not all of them. If one can get into Asgard and trick me, then surely it is being done elsewhere. There is always darkness stirring. Always. There are always things we don't see."

Frigga's expression softened and she took Ava's hand between her own. "Come. I have things to show you. Things to teach you."

By no means did the girl think the Queen her captor, or her jailer. Not in the least. Ava thought of her as a mother figure, as someone she could trust, and as someone who also believed in Loki. That belief kept her hope alive, and it kept her heart troubled. She had been broken for that man, broken physically and emotionally and now politically too. There was no resolution, no way to find peace. She missed him, the man she had known, and in her heart that love was still there. But love…as true as it is, cannot conquer all. There has been more, and it has to be mutual, and that story has to have no end; not a happy one, not a sad one, but an infinity of continuation, a circle that never broke.

Ava followed Frigga quietly, her own parents watching her figure vanish. She was still fine, svelte, fair. Her hair still light, her eyes soft, her heart gentle. But there was something else. Something there. There was more and less all at once and only time could tell what that would mean. 

* * *

_And now our scene is set. Please dont hesitate to let me know whether or not you enjoyed this chapter and what you would like to see in coming posts.  
All constructive criticism is appreciated. :)_

Blessings,  
P. 


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Time passed more slowly than ever before. It was bizarre to be in Asgard again and Ava could not work out why. She would sit and think on this, her expression whimsical as her brow furrowed ever so slightly. Frigga would catch her like this and smile; she knew she could not see the girl's heart but knew that her son had. And she knew he would smile at her expression, that perhaps it would bring out some light in him. She had always said, from the very start, that Ava had brought out the light side in Loki. Maybe without her he would have been lost to them forever.

Yet there was a downside. As she was light to him, perhaps he was dark for her. Perhaps they balanced each other out, or maybe he would be the one to sink her. And she would go down happily so long as he was there.

"You have that expression on again." Frigga mentioned kindly as she sat beside the blonde and followed her gaze.

Ava had placed herself on a window seat that looked over the water of Asgard, great cliffs rising up on the opposite shore and houses twinkling in between. The whole city was like a jewelled treasure box. It always seemed to shine.

"Yes." Ava laughed softly, just once. "Yes, I think I was wearing _that_ expression again."

She turned to face the queen and could not help but smile at the kindness in her face. Frigga had always been so gracious, so attentive to her. She had listened when Ava was angry, when she was upset, she had wiped away her tears when she cried over Loki, over all of it.

"Do you have another lesson for me today?" The blonde asked, her fingers picking at a piece of lace on her dress.

The queen took her hand, lifting her nails from the fine material before they ruined it. She folded her palms around Ava's. "No. I think you worked hard enough today. You had other classes, did you not?"

The girl nodded. She had gone riding with her instructor, had a combat lesson, practiced dance, and never once been alone. Only when she slept did she have solitude, at all other times someone was watching, waiting for her to slip up and say something demeaning about Loki, waiting for her to move on. But she never did.

"So." Frigga pulled out a little book. "I know you are getting sick of my company. I thought this might help."

Ava frowned, the light of the early evening casting long shadows over her face. "I am not sick of your company. I am sick of being constantly under watch, but not by you."

"Regardless." The queen smiled that genuine smile of hers. "You are a member of this family and as such I will impart to you some of my wisdom."

The girl's frown did not fade and Frigga had to laugh.

"This was the first book I ever learned magic from. It is the first Loki learned from too. I know he must have tried to get you to practice just a little."

Ava ducked her head a little and smiled. Loki had shown her his magic. He had held her hand and helped her emit a soft glow from her palm, and he had turned the roof of his bedroom into a field of stars time and time again. But she had never been gifted like he was, and that had been okay. Yet, the idea of learning as he had learned, of reading from the same pages as he had read from…it gave Ava hope.

Frigga saw a new light in the girl's eyes and handed her the book. "Here. We'll start with something simple."

From that moment on the pair spent hours together with that little book. Ava was not very good at magic, and could not hold many spells, but that was not why she was learning, and it was not why she was being taught. The whole process was a way to be close to Loki, to stay in touch with him. And that was exactly why Frigga had done it. That and she had some ideas for the little blonde girl with skin touched by the sun.

She had kept it a secret that she spoke with Loki via their magic, but she made sure that Ava would stumble upon the fact. She knew if she mentioned it that the girl would refuse, she would think nothing but trouble and she wanted Loki safe. Her heart was gentle and kind and she could hope for nothing but peace. Yet Frigga knew that for her son to know such a thing he had to know his heart as well.

It was when Ava was wandering into her suite that Frigga caught her off guard. The blonde's nose has been buried in a book, her voice calling an apology for the lateness of her visit; her father had wanted to watch her train and had kept her longer than expected.

Ava's voice stopped mid sentence when she saw that Frigga was not alone, the queen's gaze both kind and mischievous all at once. Loki stood in the middle of the room, his figure as real as ever. Ava believed him there and searched his features, her own face full of emotions that mixed so tightly they could not be recognised.  
His face….it said that he had been caught off guard too. He looked the girl up and down, his expression softening at the sight of her. He knew that skin, he that face, those eyes that were the colour of the sea before a storm. He knew her. That girl without a wall whose heart was open and warm. And she knew him, the man she saw for that moment was the Loki she had loved, that she still loved. There was a light in him, a softness.

Her eyes went to Frigga who nodded her encouragement. Ava looked to Loki and exhaled in astonishment. In relief. "I never thought I'd see you again. I was told I'd never see you again."

"Well, being locked in a dungeon for life tends to have that result." His tone was sad, but sharp. He had some defences left; he had to survive somehow. "How are you?"

"Well. Constantly under watch like a madman, but well." She stepped closer. "How are you? Its looks like you're right here."

"You're a bit…flickery." Loki mentioned, a smile Ava had not seen in a long time playing on his lips.

Frigga had to laugh softly. "Loki, she is only just learning magic. You have to give her a chance."

The man laughed too. "Alright, mother. So she is learning."

Ava now knew why Frigga had taught her magic. She finally understood that it was more than just a task to pass the time. "I miss you."

The words left her before she could catch them. They reached Loki as she put her hand out to touch him. He stepped back, her heart cracked a little.

"I can't. I can't give you false hope anymore."

"No hope is false."

"You have so much faith."

"No. I think I'm just fickle." She replied with a smile.

He had to laugh again, his expression sad and his posture nostalgic. Loki inhaled and reached out his hand, his fingers lingering through the air just above Ava's cheek. His touch moved straight through her and she vanished immediately from his sight, and he from hers.

Frigga broke the connection soon after, knowing that Ava would seek him out more.

The blonde turned to the queen, her eyes more open and more honest than they had been in so long. Yet they were also the saddest they had been since she got back. Genuinely sad. The kind that has known true happiness.

"Thank you." She said to the queen. "I love him."

"I know." Was Frigga's reply.

She said nothing on the pain that their relationship had brought. On the stress, the suffering, the darkness. Maybe things would change.

And maybe the world would go black again.

0.0.0  
Ava relived many of her darkest moments in New York as she slept. She dreamed of her own blood, of drowning in it; suffering unwillingly. She had once walked into the sea to try find Loki, her lungs yelling, suffocating, burning as she pursued him. And then she had found herself on Earth, her own chest filling, her own body sticky as her blood poured onto the pavement.

The blonde would wake with a start, her breath heaving as her hand clutched to the side of her body that had been so brutally punctured. She would blink and see Loki's flying craft, see her fingers clinging to it, feel that moment of pure bliss as he reached for her in the end. And then they had been clipped, and she had ended up falling, falling, falling away from him again. The struggle never ended. It never went away. Since having seen him with Frigga it had become a fight she battled on with, not one she simply endured. It was exhausting.

Ava rose up from her bed quietly, her arms wrapping around her body as the warmth of Summer gave way to Autumn. The sun rose a little slower, the horizon seemed a little shorter, and she the warm places of the realm felt more inviting. She looked out over the water, over the vast expanse of Asgard and its glittering towers. They had arrived back some time ago, Loki was in the dungeon and she had to spend most of her waking hours with Frigga or with her parents, sometimes even with Sif and her warriors three. It was like being a child again. It was frustrating. Saddening. She did not want to fall again, she wanted to take his hand and carry on, not letting go, not looking back.

But he was in the dungeon, and she…was just waiting for something. Something she didn't know existed, something she could not comprehend.

There had been so many feasts since she got back, so many victories that Thor had won throughout the Nine Realms as he sought out peace. The Tesseract had brought Asgard great power, and they pushed back the darkness that had settled after the bridge had been destroyed.

But now…

"That's a very thoughtful face."

Ava swung around sharply so she might grasp at the voice that had spoken. "You. Who are you?"

She knew him by the name he had given. By his voice. Ralyn. The Dark Elf. He wore a different skin now, the skin of an Asgardian. He was good with magic and his smirk told her that he had played his trick well.

"They don't believe you, do they?" He chuckled darkly. "Good. I knew your association with Loki would have them dismissing your claims readily."

Ava gazed over the stranger. In his hands he held a box, the one she had given him before she left. It had been payment for her travel, payment for his magic. He opened it to show that it was still full, his little smirk growing in its darkness, is very nature sinister.

"This is yours" he said.

"No. We had a deal." Her voice was strong, her mind knowing that if he refused her money that she would be in his debt more than she already was. "You accepted it then. I owe you nothing."

"You owe me a favour."

She remembered such a thing. Briefly. Vaguely. Her silence was her answer.

"Good." Ralyn mentioned as he set the box down on the vanity in her rooms. "This is the favour I ask. Take it back, take your little piggy bank and keep it. Just…stop blathering on about me, about Dark Elves. We don't exist, remember? We're just a bad story, the evil vanquished by your precious Asgard."

Ava's eyes slid cooly from the box to the man. He looked nothing like the person she had met, his disguise full and efficient. "And if I disagree?"

"Then I am sure I can make some deals with some dark folk in the dungeon."

The blonde was furious but she kept her face calm. "Those cells are impenetrable."

"Perhaps."

"Leave." She said sullenly. "Leave now."

Ralyn's gaze grew hard and silent. His voice was a scraping growl. "Say one word, Silver Girl, and I will snuff out your darkness."

"You are but one."

"Am I?"

His last words hung in the air, drifting lethally as he faded from sight before her. Ava shivered, her body cold from the encounter. He had been in her room, in her home. He had got into her private place, behind the locked doors, and he threatened her and Loki. There was a great darkness in that, one only stories could tell of. One that could only indicate something greater looming on the edges of what they knew.

The woman sat at her vanity and held her night-clothes tightly around her. She stared at the box, her brow set in a deep furrow. Something was happening again. Something dark. And she could tell no one. It was all coming undone; everything that had barely survived was coming undone and Ava did not know how or from where. She just felt it, she felt it coming like she had with Loki. But this time, for this, there was no light. There was only darkness. And no one would believe her. It was as if her bad dreams were all coming true. It was as if her bad dreams had actually drowned her.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Please feel free to leave a review; let me know what you thought. All constructive criticism is welcome.  
I'm setting things up for the Thor: The Dark World plot so that Ava can move within it without being an alien feature to the story.  
I hope you're all well. I'll get to replying to your lovely reviews and messages ASAP. I'm still quite busy but I promise to make some time for you._

_Blessings,_

_P._


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Days for Ava became listless, never ending. Her 'house arrest' was strained, her mother constantly trying to talk to her and never quite getting to it in the right way. They had grown, their relationship was good – especially since she had been dragged from the water by the woman and forced to face life once more. That moment had let Ava know that she was loved and respected, that was needed. But more than that, it let her know how much it would hurt to harm her family in any way. She did not want that. She wanted to love them. To be near to them. But it was hard. Her father kept pressing her, kept trying to talk as if she were a girl again going off to a day at school. Her mother just lingered, still missing her son but too desperate not to lose her daughter too. They both clung to Ava with an overwhelming sense of parental duty. She felt suffocated.

So she went to Frigga as she was supposed to, taking guidance from the queen. She continued to learn some magic, they painted together as well. Painted, read, talked. Sometimes the queen would even stay to watch Ava in her riding lessons, helped her through her dance classes, admired her skill with her bow. But she kept back in a way she knew the blonde's parents didn't; her punishment was to never be alone again. It was the loneliest thing they could have done. All touch, sound, scent, and none of chosen. The only time she got peace was in her sleep and when she bathed, her thoughts wandering in those moments and not allowing her rest then either. There was no space to breathe. No space to think.

She asked about Loki often, her manner offhand as if she did not care so much and always when Thor was not present. The God of Thunder wanted her to move on as quickly as possible, to reclaim her life.

"Why do you hang onto him so?" He had asked. "Why give him a chance when he would simply squander it?"

Ava had looked up at the man as he towered above her, his arms brotherly and his heart in the right place. "Thor, I know you want me to be happy. I know you want me to be whole and healed and not suffer for your brother's crimes. But I cannot do that."

"Why not? Why can you not just move on?"

She quieted. "You wouldn't. You wouldn't move on. You haven't moved on from Jane when you know for a fact that she will grow old and die before you even get one wrinkle."

"Don't bring Jane into this." His voice was hard.

"But you love her. You hope she will love you through your shortcomings and give you the opportunity to do better. To be better. To be the person she fell in love with, or at least some fragment – enough that the fragments left of her could find their home again."

Thor was silent for some time, his jaw tight and the sunlight playing on his hair. "You are like a sister to me, Ava. I want what is best for you."

She placed a hand on his arm, her long fingers shifting slightly against the long sleeve of his shirt, his clothes speaking of the oncoming cool weather. "And I for you."

"Do you still love him?" He asked frankly, his tone firm but kind.

Ava glanced out from where they were, the great expanse of Asgard stretched out before them as life continued to buzz on in the Realm Eternal, its golden walls and shimmering waters forever beautiful. "I think so. I don't know who he is anymore and that saddens me. But I want to know."

"And that is love to you?"

"No." She nearly laughed, her smile genuine and bright as she looked to Thor. "No. Not at all. I loved your brother whole heartedly. You know I did and you even told me I was good for him."

"He is not good for you though, Ava." Thor's voice seemed to play with her smile, warming to her, seeing her as his sister and friend and as a person he loved and knew. But his face was serious. His head in the right place. "Please. Do not let me think I am going to lose you because of him."

"You will never lose me because of Loki." She replied, her hand squeezing on his arm before dropping to her side to fiddle with the fabric of her dress.

The God of Thunder noted that she needed to move on from the topic, that she was drowning once more in expectation. "Shall I steal you from my mother for the afternoon? You should accompany Sif, Volstagg, Hogan, Fandral, and I as we ride out to train in the fields beyond the city. You should bring your bow and knives. I want to see if you are as sharp as you used to be."

Ava smiled broadly, the light reaching high into her face. "I would love that. Let me change. I cannot ride in a dress."

"You could try."

"Sif would judge me."

"No." He replied condescendingly.

Ava rolled her eyes at him.

Thor replied with a hearty laugh. "She likes you. You should be friends. She is a sound advisor and her heart is very strong ."

The woman paused a moment. She had been short on friends as of late. All the girls she had associated with had abandoned her without a word, leaving her to the gossip and slander that came with her situation. They called her a whore, saying she was only with Loki for the throne. Then they called her stupid for picking the wrong Prince. There were worse names, worse assumptions, things said from eager and bitter tongues and not from knowledge and understanding. But she was tainted now and she sat alone at parties. Only Sif and her warriors kept her company, laughing, drinking, and eating around her as she sat and smiled and felt a warm glow for their inviting company. But even they had their reservations. Even they had their assumptions. And even then they were not in Asgard that much as they sought peace for the Nine Realms. Soon they would ride to Vanaheim, to help Hogan's homeland. She would not see them for a few days, and after she would know their war stories by heart for they would be repeated often and with enthusiasm.

"Alright." Ava replied to Thor. "Alright. I'll ride with you."

"I'll meet you in an hour." He said loudly as he began to back away. "I'll tell the stable boy to prepare your horse."

"Thank you." She called after him, her voice bouncing off the pillars that he vanished along.

And then she was not quite alone. A guard stood nearby waiting to escort her home. Ava pursed her lips and looked to him. She exhaled quietly and nodded to the man. It was always a different person. Always a strange face. But she tried to be nice to them. Tried to smile. Tried to be more than a guarded object that everyone thought would break at any moment.

Ava said nothing about the dark elf that had visited her. Said nothing of Ralyn. They would think her even more insane. Even more unhinged. And they would think the truth a lie simply because she had loved a liar. Her heart was sore, aching, raw. But it was alive. It was bright. She knew the feel of the sun, the taste of the sea, the sound of silence. She just wished she could share them. Share them and lay on her back on a terrace and learn about the stars from a heart that lay so close to her own.

She missed that heart. She missed its mischief. Its stories. Its kisses. She missed its honesty. The genuine truth it held for her. She missed it. She missed him to a point of mourning.

0.0.0

Heading out of the city had been a good idea. It had been nice to feel the air on her face, to escape the prying eyes of those that would assume the worst and placate the best. Ava laughed with Sif, sparred with Hogan, and ended up sitting with the group as they discussed their trip to Vanaheim.

Fandral was fiddling with some wild flowers, his eyes on the blonde girl as Thor spoke of tactics against their enemy. The God of Thunder watched as his friend spun the flower just beneath Ava's nose, causing her to laugh. Her face quieted almost immediately as the man threaded the stem behind her ear, brushing her hair aside so that the flower could be seen.

"There. Now beauty is done justice."

The woman looked at Fandral and frowned briefly. He was definitely a ladies man, definitely a flirt, and his actions were not those of love but rather of friendly affection. But they still did something to her heart. They caused it to draw away, to shield itself, to try and find protection against something completely passive.

"Thank you, Fandral." She smiled at him. "Remember to collect a few more flowers for all of your lady friends."

"There are not enough in this field, Lady Ava." He replied with a grin, his eyes sweeping the vast sea of colour around them. "But I shall be sure to store a few for the right moments."

"One of which is not now, Fandral." Thor spoke stoutly. "Ava is spoken for."

The woman paused at his words, wondered at them as The God of Thunder moved directly back to discussing battle. She ran her thumb over her ring finger and felt her heart sink a little at the touch of cold metal. Ava settled against the grass she sat upon, her horse snorting contentedly as it grazed nearby. There was great beauty in her life, love even, but there was no peace. There was no closure. There was just a pain in her side when it rained, a dull aching throb that spoke of a wound since closed and a trip that had left more scars than those that showed. It never ended. It wasn't supposed to.

And what would she do for him? For Loki? What would she do to find him again?  
Not even Ava knew that answer anymore.

0.0.0

Frigga spent a lot of time 'visiting' her son when Ava was away. She knew it must be lonely in his isolation, surrounded by vagabonds and dead beats when he was raised a prince of Asgard. She felt for his situation. But more than that, she had hope for him. She saw in his eyes the child she had loved, the man she had raised him to be. It glimmered in and out. It was a feeling she shared with Ava; seeing something that may be an illusion and clinging to it for its existence, even simply in hope, was better than anything else.

It took some time, but finally Frigga heard Loki on what Odin had said the day he had returned to Asgard. It had been a cold welcome; she had seen his distant demeanour, the cloak of wit that had previously been used to make mischief and not defend from harm.

"He said that my birth right was to, and I quote, 'to die as a child cast out onto a frozen rock'. And then, oh and then," Loki waved his finger through the air, his lips thinning as he clenched his jaw and his voice flat, distant with the humoured strain to his tone. "Then he told me I would live in this dungeon for the rest of my life; and that I would never see you again. Tell me now, mother is that how a father should behave?"

"Did you behave as a son should?"

"I would have brought him more power! I would have made him proud! But he never gave me the chance."

"You didn't need the chance. He was proud before all of this."

"And now? Oh, and now he's got me rotting away on my own with nothing but your image to keep me company." Loki was on the verge of yelling now, his voice slipping between anger and frustration. His eyes were hot, his brow unwavering. "I may have had my shortcomings as a son, but a man is who you raised your boy to be."

Frigga stayed calm, her demeanour soft and open for her son. "Loki, I never raised you as this. I never wanted this for you."

He stilled, anger leaving him with naught but cold defeat. "You know I did not mean you."

"I do." The woman stilled and exhaled carefully. "What of Ava? She is part of this now."

"How so? She is free to live out her life. She is free of me."

"No, my boy." Frigga's smile was almost sad, soft on the edges and contemplative in the middle. "No. She will never be free of you. She has a prison of her own now. She went after you time and time again and those actions, to others…" The queen paused a moment. "To others Ava is…"

"Ruined." He finished, assuming the end of her sentence before she spoke it.

"Changed." Frigga corrected.

"Is she?" Loki raised his brows, his voice lilting with condescending curiosity. He would never know if his mother spoke the truth. Not truly.

The queen exhaled slowly and smiled at him. "No. No, she is still gentle and kind. She is fierce too. Determined. She is the light I know you have. She is just…looking for you without that light on."

"I have put that light out."

"You have done no such thing. Maybe you bring out some darkness where she brings out some light. Maybe that is a good thing. One cannot appreciate either without its opposite."

"It is not fair." Loki said abruptly, his words aimed at nothing and everything all at once. His hand swept a cup from a small side table in his room before lifting to his face, the metal of the fallen object clinking across the small space he had. That was his world now. A couple of meters. No fresh air. No sunlight. No scent or touch or laughter to share. "She needs to move on. Her father will want her married."

"Her father already has suitors lined up."

The god turned to his mother at her statement, her words fresh and easy as they slipped from his tongue.

Frigga nodded slowly, her eyes smiling. "She has refused them. She knows marrying may be her only way out of house arrest, her only way to spend at least some time to herself. The only way to repair her image. But she fights with Erik on it. Fights bitterly. I fear it will damage their relationship, but she tells him that her heart is not his to give, and that she gave it away a long time ago."

Loki swallowed and dismissed the subject of Ava. He was eager to move on.

"You still wear the ring." Frigga's voice broke into his mind.

He closed his hand, partially hiding the object from her sight. "Thank you for your visit, mother. And for the books."

The queen's expression softened. "Can I find you anything else?"

"Yes." He spoke sharply. "Find me information about how Ava got to Midgard."

"Loki…"

"No, mother. She spoke of Dark Elves. Of stories. But she is not mad and I had no say in that tale. And if she were to lie she would be more convincing than that."

Frigga folded her hands in front of her. "I will look into it."

"She knows something, mother. Ava has always looked like an open book but there is always something between the lines."

"Only you ever got to read that full story."

"Its not over yet."

"No." Frigga replied simply. "No, but I know what you are feeling. A darkness follows her and it is not yours. It does not compliment her."

"So find it." Loki spoke firmly, the walls of his cell glowing brighter for a moment. "Find it and you'll find her again."

"Is that why you had such trouble keeping your promise?"

The man paused and was silent, his eyes asking a question without words.

"She speaks to me, Loki. She has to speak to someone."

He nodded and swallowed. "Better you than Thor. Where is she now?"

"With Thor."

Loki just about growled with displeasure and exhaled as he looked at the walls of his cage. Of his sentence.

"He will look after her." Frigga spoke soothingly. "She is part of this family and has been since you two met."

"No, mother." He turned back, the cup that had fallen to the floor clattering a little further with the force of a silent magic that could not be held back. "No, she is part of my family. You and me and no one else. I cannot keep her safe from here."

"Do you wish to see her again?"

"Of course. But not like this."

"Then like what?"

"In person." His reply was cool and soft, sad as it relaxed through his tones. "Just…find out about the elf. Find out about the mess she got into. Ava arrived in Midgard somehow, and not by Odin or Thor's hand. If no one will look into it then we must."

There were silent words there. A need to do what he could to keep a word he had broken many times. Words he doubted she would ever hear again.

* * *

_Hello lovely readers, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. We are crossing the boarder into the movie and I wanted to make the transition as clean as possible.  
Please dont hesitate to review and let me know what you thought. I am always welcoming constructive criticism and I love hearing from all of you. _

_Blessings, _  
_P._


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Ava knew Frigga spoke to Loki, she knew the woman had magic and that her son could see her and she him. She was glad for them. Glad they had that. But she had been forbidden to see Loki again, forever cast away from him. Yet there was hope. There was always hope. Through her trials, as she endured the conviction that came along with the deeds she had performed to bring him back, she had realised one simple thing. Loki could not be saved. Not by her. That was not her job.  
It was a cold realisation, but it also helped her see some light. He was there, he was alive, and maybe one day, maybe when Thor was king, she would see him again. And on that day…she would be glad. She would smile at him.

You cant just move on from relationships. You don't build that kind of love with someone and walk away. They will forever have part of you, forever know some secret place inside of you. They become something within you. They never leave.

Ava did not want to leave him though. If he had been free, if she had been able, she would be at his side, her hand warmly seeking his and her heart praying that his could find hers truly once more.

Frigga looked up at the woman from over her book and saw the vacant expression of thought. "Did you enjoy your swim today?"

"The guard is not so fond of me going out as far as I would like." Ava smiled at the queen. "But I did dive down and retrieve a pretty shell for him."

The blonde still swam often. She found peace in the silence underwater. It was why she had tried to drown. Thor was not happy with her activity, but he could not divulge why without dredging up old wounds. Even though it was getting cold, and the air of Asgard was crisp, Ava still managed to find some time to swim; to escape, to float in something greater than herself. In response Thor busied himself with bringing peace to the realms. Soon he would return from Vanaheim, soon there would be peace and the dungeon would be full and Loki would have a great horde of company.

Ava closed her book and looked to Frigga. "Does Loki need anything? I hate thinking of him down there with just a bed and a table."

"He has more than that." The queen laughed quietly at the woman. "I send him what I can. I was hoping to do so today."

Ava's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What do you send him?"

"Things from his room. Things I know he likes. Comfortable bedding, books, fruit, wine."

The blonde smiled, her expression cooling upon a new question in her mind. "Is he mad that I have not sent anything?"

"No." Frigga shook her head. "He knows your situation."

Ava exhaled, glancing down for a moment and not saying anything.

"He still cares deeply for you." The queen set her book aside. "He asks about how you are."

"What do you tell him?"

"I say you are frustrated and stubborn. I tell him you still ride your horse on the days you used to ride together, and that you swim in the sea whenever its warm enough – which is not often now that the snow has begun to fall, but you somehow still manage to find a way and return to me with blue lips and freezing fingers. I tell him that your magic is better but perhaps you do not have a natural talent for it."

Ava couldn't help but laugh. She smiled gratefully at Frigga. The pair had become quite close and were very fond of each other. "I would like to help you chose some things for him, if that's okay?"

"Of course its okay. But we will have to go to his room. I like to give him something familiar."

The blonde nodded. She had not been to Loki's room since before she had been to Midgard. The area was restricted for her. But with no guards, and a woman of understanding, she found herself at his door once more. There were so many good memories in so many places for them, but that room held some of their most private moments. Words of truth and intimacy, kisses that had an inexplicable depth, soft moments in the early hours of the morning as they lay tangled in each other, his scent lodged in her skin as his fingers memorised the shape of her jaw and lips.

It still smelled the same. Still smelled of him. Ava wandered into the room slowly, her fingers running over a desk piled neatly with books. She saw his sofas, his bed, the closet, the view. His clothes were neatly folded in the shelves and her hand pressed to the soft fabric of one of his shirts, Frigga standing at the door watching her every move. Ava seemed nostalgic, but there was a brightness there. A growing light that was warm and trusting and kind despite her distant and defensive nature of late.

"He always liked this one." Ava mentioned as she wandered to the desk and picked up a book. "He seemed to re-read it a lot."

Her eyes wandered over Loki's old room before falling on a small shelf beside the desk. It had some trinkets on it, little things of little value and high importance. She paused when she saw a small sketch of herself, her face turned away from the artist, her features attending to something else and the smile private. Maybe he had created the image with magic, the strokes of charcoal fine and perfect in nature. Maybe he had done it himself. Ava picked up the little piece of paper and smiled. How had she missed this? How had she not seen it before? She rarely went through his things, it was still his room. It warmed her somehow to know that he had kept something of her, that it had been there all along without her knowing. Something of her for him.

Frigga stood behind the woman silently and slipped the paper from her fingers and neatly into the folds of a book she would be sending. It hid itself nicely, blending with the pages so that no one would see it except him.

"He always liked that one too." The queen smiled.

The blonde's expression was more open than it had been in days. "I hate that he will be remembered for Midgard, for what happened before he fell from the Bifrost. I hate that they will not recall his strength, his humour, his heart."

Frigga put a hand over Ava's. "Me too." She paused. "Why don't you go pick out a few new shirts for him? I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

The other woman nodded solemnly and retreated to the closet, vanishing inside and selecting a few garments for the god. She lifted the first to her nose, taking in the scent as if she would forget him if she did not remind herself of it. Things had moved so fast. And they would get faster still. Now was not the time to get left behind. She had fallen back before; never again. Never again would she be left with an empty room and secret pictures.

0.0.0

_Ava awoke with a start, her body jolted, her limbs tingling from a dream that was not unlike falling. She rarely, if ever, had nightmares. But that night she did, she woke with a start and no memory of what had plagued her and set her heart pounding so fast. _

_The figure beside her stirred, drawing her near as he did whenever he felt her discomfort. His arms were firm, strong. They tangled her up against his chest, his lips finding her forehead as they lay there in each other. _

_"Its alright, my darling." He cooed softly into her hair, his breath penetrating her scalp. "Its alright."_

_Ava swallowed and closed her eyes, her one hand resting at the base of her throat as her fingertips gauged her pulse, the other resting on his chest as she let the steady rhythm of his heart settle her. _

_"Sorry." She spoke with her exhalation, her voice a whisper as if any more would wake him further. _

_"Its okay." His tone let her know he was smiling that gentle smile of his. "What happened?"_

_"I don't know. I don't remember." Ava let her fingers wander over his chest, let them tenderly follow the lines of his flesh. "I'm okay." _

_"I can feel your heart hammering away in you." He kissed her head again. "I'm here, you know that? I'll always be here."_

_The woman smiled and turned her head up to look at him. Those eyes, so green, so familiar. She let her lips meet his, let his taste renew itself against her skin. "I know. And I'm not leaving you either."_

_He brushed a hair from her face, leaving her features and the fine lines of her neck exposed to the moonlight. "Please don't." _

_"I wont." She whispered. "I wont. I promise."_

_His kiss was warm and true, so genuine, so open. "Go back to sleep, my darling. It's all alright. I wont let anything happen to you." _

_Ava fit her head beneath his chin again, glad to have him close. "Loki?" She asked quietly. _

_"Mmm?" His voice was surrounded by rest, her slowed pulse allowing sleep to fill his mind again. _

_"I love you." _

_He smiled, the motion leaving small wrinkles in the corners of his eyes for the briefest of moments. "I love you too." _

0.0.0

It was early when Thor, Sif and her Warriors Three returned from Vanaheim. Or more, warriors two. Hogan was no longer with them. Ava met them with Frigga and embraced the hulking blonde warmly, glad to see him well and sound.

"So that its then?" She asked as they walked into the palace, a throng of new prisoners being led away as her eyes followed them and not her path. "Is there peace?"

"As much as there was in my grandfather's time. As much as there was before…" He stopped.

"Its okay." Ava replied. "The destruction of the Bifrost was like severing an artery to the universe. I am just glad it is healthy again."

Sif sidled up beside the woman and nudged her with her shoulder. "You should have come, my friend. The fight was good."

"Is that why everything was on fire?" Thor teased.

The warrior glared up at her friend. "You've made that quip once already, Thor."

"Okay, so I need a new repertoire."

Ava smiled. "Well, there will be a feast tonight for all of you."

"Did you take down the deer yourself?" Fandral asked as he and Volstagg caught up. "Ever since that day I have not seen a shot taken so surely."

"No." Ava assured him. "I am not so trusted with weapons beyond the training ring."

There was a quick, yet very awkward silence. Volstagg broke it with his thunderous voice. "Well, there will be a feast nonetheless and I for one am going to be there early to get myself the best spot."

Thor put a hand on Ava's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. "I shall see you tonight."

"Oh, you're going to show yourself?" Sif asked with raised eyebrows.

"I cannot attend every merry making session." Was the firm reply.

Thor had disappeared many nights, following the Bifrost to Heimdal and asking of the universe. More so though he was concerned with Jane Foster; a little human whose life was but a twinkling in comparison to theirs. Love was love, no matter how fleeting some may have said it would be. Ava knew this well.

"I will be there." Thor reiterated himself. "You have my word."

The blonde's heart had been distracted, his affection for the human girl confusing for most. Ava watched him carefully at parties, saw him in private, saw how Odin kept pointing him at Sif and how Sif kept pointing herself but. Yet the guidance was seemingly blunt against him, merely sliding away as an annoyance.

That night there was a great feast, one like many others that had come before it. Most wore furs and huddled around fires, the women wearing elegant fitted dresses that still managed to float around them as they glimmered against the walls of Asgard.

Ava dressed appropriately, her mother and father at her side during the feast and speaking warmly to her of the day, laughing, teasing, and going about with a genuine intimacy that came with family. Yet their daughter was still quiet, changed. She was more thoughtful, considering all angles and not just that which her heart presented.

The blonde wore a gold clip in her hair, its fine lines and patterns blending holding back a simple style. Her shoulders were covered by a coat made with long, beautiful creamy gold feathers that complimented the light blue flow of her gown. Ava sill liked to dress well. She still liked to dress up.

Her eyes went to Sif as she sat on a balcony and spoke to Thor, the god moving off after a few words and vanishing as he had numerous times before. Sif met the eyes that watched her and sighed, sending Ava a small smile and moving off into the throng – perhaps to save Fandral from stealing too many ladies or Volstagg from taking too much ale.

Ava wandered to where the woman had been, her arms crossed against the light snowfall. Loki had loved the snow. He had said it complimented her. He liked how it turned the tip of her nose red and lit up her cheeks with a soft pink hue.

The woman stood there for some time, listening to the party behind her. She watched the city, her mind surprised to see the Bifrost opening with a bright light and haling a passage through space. She straightened, frowned, and watched as soon after the space reopened and no doubt brought back Thor from whatever visit he had gone on. He had not seen Jane, just watched her. Such a quick trip…it set Ava's teeth on edge.

0.0.0

The next day Ava found out that Jane Foster was indeed on Asgard. She heard the news from Frigga as she met her after her morning lessons. The guard vanished away, and they were left alone for yet another day.

"Loki was troubled today." The queen opened with such an abrupt line.

"Perhaps he also knows there is a human in our city."

Frigga smiled. "I do not think Jane is the issue."

"What is it?" Ava asked softly as she settled into one of the queen's many sofas, the fabric of her dress spreading around her as she settled. "Is he alright?"

"He is lonely. He is angry."

The blonde nodded. "I do not blame him."

"I believe he knows he was wrong." Frigga seemed agitated, saddened by her last visit. "But I do not think he see's it. He is always so perceptive about everyone but himself. But you see him, don't you?"

Ava was quiet, her eyes moving down to her hands as they folded in her lap. She felt her heart flutter a little in her chest, anxiety sinking through her in a way it had not done before.

"You do see him, you have seen him from the very beginning. I believe it is why you fell in love with him. But you are afraid of what you will see when you look. But he will let you in, I know he will. I don't think he ever let you out. Do not fear him, Ava. Love him. Love him as he loves you."

The other woman was silent for a long moment. "Frigga..." She exhaled and held back a softening that seemed to want to creep through her expression. "I do not know if I am strong enough for that."

"Do you love him?" She asked. "Do you worry about him when the new prisoners from Vanaheim are brought in?"

Ava swallowed and looked up to the queen. She tried to form a few words but found they would not come out. Finally she managed to say "I miss him."

Frigga smiled and sat beside the woman. She seamlessly changed the subject. "I have a favour to ask, Ava. Not about Loki, its about Jane."

"Oh?" The woman looked around as if the other might appear. She did not know why it set her on edge, but seeing Thor free to love a love that seemed so restricted…it unnerved her. "What can I do for Jane?"

"You can lend her a dress or two while she is here. Her Midgardian clothes are not suitable."

"Yes, I very much doubt that they are."

"Be nice, Ava. Be glad for them. Thor has found his happiness."

A bitter taste lingered briefly in her mouth. "Maybe. And how soon until he knows mourning like I have? He is free for now to love. But it is never so simple as affection. I will lend her the dress, and no doubt spend a lot of time with her while she is here. Hopefully…I will see her in the same warm light as you and Thor do."

Frigga smiled and set a hand over Ava's. "Thank you. Shall we go find them?"

It did not take long to discover Thor and Jane, their figures cast against the great expanse of Asgard as it reared up behind them. They stood in a quiet corner of Asgard, on the waters edge, speaking closely, their lips meeting for a moment, and then speaking some more.

"My father does not know everything." Was all that Ava caught of their conversation before Frigga entered it.

"Do not let him hear you say that." She addressed her son with a smile.

The blonde held back a little, staying a few steps behind as she examined the human girl. She seemed so fragile, so lost in their world. But she was pretty, and she had an intelligent look about her. It was odd how she fumbled her hello to the Queen of Asgard, how she did not know the protocol or seem quite comfortable with what to do. A simple 'hi' left her lips with a nervous breath and Ava had to smile at her sincerity and seeming bashfulness.

"Is Ava with you?" Thor asked, his eyes seeking out the space behind his mother. "I think she will be great friends with Jane."

The blonde stepped down to the queen's side with a smile. "Do not pretend you did not see me, Thor. And if you genuinely did not…perhaps you need some eyeglasses."

Jane watched Ava emerge and opened her mouth to speak to the man beside her. "Is this your sister?"

"No." Thor laughed. "Well, in a way yes she is." He said little more on the relevance of his statement and simply made introductions. "Ava, this is Jane."

"It's a pleasure." Ava replied, her eyes holding the human's.

"Yeah." Was her stumbling response, her expression saying she wanted to say a proper hello but her anxiety indicating that she could not.

"I am to lend you some dresses. Shall we go to my suite so you can try some on? You are a little shorter than I am, but I am sure we can find something suitable."

Frigga smiled at Ava's warmth, glad it was genuine. Yet before she could say another word a great horn blasted its sound over the water, its noise drawing the attention of Thor and Frigga immediately.

"The prison." The queen mentioned, her concern evident.

Yet while her tone was more for safety, Thor's seemed to seek out assumption. "Loki."

"Go." The queen mentioned. "I'll look after her."

The God of Thunder's eyes went to Ava. "And you? Where will you be?"

"Doing nothing as devious as your assuming. I am obligated to stay with your mother or with a guard. I am not going to follow you this time, Thor."

Jane seemed confused for a moment, and then she clicked. Her mind taking her to the images she had seen of New York and the blonde female Asgardian that had been there too. Yet nothing had been said on Midgardian news about Ava's association with Loki, just that they were of the same realm.

Nonetheless they moved off quickly once Thor was gone, heading for the safety of the palace and the word of Odin. The Allfather was found quickly, his voice booming around his halls with authority.

His eyes fell on his wife, on Ava, on Jane. "Frigga."

He stopped them with that single word before continuing. The blonde watched as Sif walked past and met her eye, the gaze slipping from her to Jane as the warrior passed them.

"Take them to your chambers. I will come for you when it is safe." Odin broke in firmly. "Ava, you must stay there. I will not have you traipsing about as you tend to do."

"No traipsing." She replied lightly. "Understood."

Odin ignored her tone and turned to his wife as she spoke. "Take care."

The love between them was evident, its affection sealed by an eternity together. Ava almost envied that opportunity.

"Despite all I have survived" The Allfather touched his wife's cheek tenderly and softened as she smiled "my queen still worries over me."

"It is only because I worry over you that you have survived." Frigga replied stoutly before turning away and leading Jane away, her hand slyly taking a dagger from a passing guard as she spoke in a low, urgent tone. "Listen to me now, I need you to do everything I ask – no questions."

"Yes, ma'am." Jane replied with concern.

Ava stayed at Frigga's side for a moment before the queen turned to her. "You. Get your armour on. Get your weapons."

"No traipsing, remember?"

"No questions, remember."

Ava smiled at the queen and slipped past in the bustle of the situation. Something big was happening. Something huge. But she was not worried. She was not afraid. No. For the first time eyes were not all over her and she was free to move as she would. She could go to Loki, go see if he was well. She could run. She could hide. She could fight. She worried for the man in the dungeon, worried he may have triggered some alarm. Yet deep down in her heart Ava knew it was not him who had done anything. And even deeper still she held onto the hope that perhaps whatever had happened would allow her to see him once more – no matter the outcome.

* * *

_And thus we hit the plot of Thor: The Dark World.  
Please let me know how you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know if you didnt like anything. Let me know what you think Ava will do - she's a little unstable at the moment. She resents other's affections as she feels robbed of her own. Time will tell how it plays out. ;)_

Blessings,  
P. 


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Ava heard the sound of gunfire outside, her eyes moving out over Asgard to see its skies lit up with flying vehicles all shooting upon each other. There were great dark ships that spun and dodged attacks that defended the city, and then there were great balls of flame that appeared where ships from both sides had been. For the first time since the alarm had sounded Ava realised how great the situation was. Asgard was under attack.

Her feet carried her swiftly past throngs of soldiers and civilians, all of them running to some place or another. She ended up in her rooms, her dress falling away and her hands pulling open her armour closet. The old outfit stood there as a reminder, its side pushed in brutally, its sharp, jagged edges having once done the opposite of protect her. Armour sometimes does more harm than good. It cannot protect from everything.

Ava reached beyond the damaged set and to her new piece. Elegant black pieces of metal and leather formed a malleable, light, hardy outfit. Gold stretched over her shoulders and up the protective pieces that formed a high and open collar. There was also gold down her front, sharp long pieces definitive of Asgardian design.

This was her third piece of armour. Hopefully it would survive more than one battle.

Ava pulled it on along with fitted leather pants, tough boots, and a pair of archery gloves. She took her bow, set her knives and arrows at her back, and took off through her family's suites.

A large, booming voice halted her in her tracks. Her name bouncing off the walls with a furious undertone. Erik stood and watched his daughter with a dark scowl, his brows knitting so close together Ava thought they might split the sides of his face.

"I am going to Frigga. She sent me to dress." The blonde mentioned as she quickly stepped up to her parents, her eyes on the man who had raised her. "I swear, father. I am not up to mischief."

"You have deceived us before." Her mother mentioned quietly, sadly, her eyes still lost for her son but her heart warm for the child she had left. "Ava, we love you. Please, do not hurt us further. Don't let us lose you."

The blonde searched her mother's face for a long moment before embracing her. It had been a long time since she had heard such words; since she had truly known that her parents would miss her.

"I have never meant to harm you. Not once." She looked up to her father. "I love you both. I will always love you, and I will always be grateful of what you have done for me."

Erik set his hand over his daughter's head, his palm dwarfing her skull as he smiled in a lonely manner. "Go, my girl. Come back to us."

It was a statement said many times. A hope so fiercely held.

Ava nodded and released her mother to kiss her father's cheek. "I'll be back. I promise. Stay safe. Stay here. Please, I cannot lose you as well. Just stay here. Dad, you are retired now. Keep mom safe."

He smiled at her as she backed away from them and vanished through the doors of their home, her words more loving than any they had heard from her in a long time.

Ava ran as quickly as she could to Frigga's chamber, the great protective dome that held the city safe rising around them with a glowing light. Yet, it soon shuddered, faltered, and fell from the sky as if it had been burned. The palace shook, shuddered, dust falling from cracks in the walls and the ground shaking terribly for some event that had happened somewhere nearby.

The woman ducked for a moment, the shots from the vehicles outside landing closer and closer as an air battle raged all over Asgard. Smoke rose from the city, people paused in a moment of dead silence.

The woman looked up and froze, the Dark Elf she had bargained with standing there in the empty hallway with a smirk on his face and a blade in his hand. "The Little Silver Girl. Or should I change that to the Little Silver Wolf?"

"What do you want?" Ava asked, her body turning defensively to the man. He wore no disguise this time, his magic down and his face his own. "I owe you nothing. You annulled our bargain."

"I know. This is more of a…social visit." He smiled and took a step forward. "You see, you are on your way to the queen and she is with the Ether. It would save us a lot of trouble if you were…delayed."

Ava put an arrow to her bow and drew it to is full length.

Ralyn chuckled darkly and shook his head. "You know I am a sorcerer. You are but a girl in a falling city."

"Maybe. But I did say that you would owe me one day. I'm calling in that favour."

"Owe you?" He laughed. "Owe you for what?"

"Being an asshole." Ava released her arrow and watched it sear straight through the elf before her, his image shimmering and vanishing as the weapon clattered to the floor someway down the hall.

Her knife came out immediately, her body swinging around at the figure behind her and the blade burring itself through his sternum. She drew close to the dark elf as his eyes fell, astonished on the blade that protruded from his chest.

"Did you forget who I went to Midgard for? There are greater sorcerers than you." Ava drew her blade back and watched the elf fall to the ground with a thud, his hands moving over his wound. "You should have kept our bargain."

Without another thought Ava took off once more down the hall, grabbing her arrow as she went and quickly moving off to find the queen's chambers.

Asgard smelled of fire and smoke, of crumbling buildings, of salty air tainted. But this was home, it would always be home. It was where she had fallen in love. Really, truly in love.

Ava fit her arrow to her bow and ran with the weapon at the ready, prepared for whatever lay around each corner as the cries of a city in battle groaned and shuddered their way through her mind.

The door to Frigga's chamber was open, the sound of metal grating on metal more than apparent. Ava's heart faltered a moment as she drew her bow fully and stepped into the room. Her eyes took in a dark elf battling the queen, their fight stopping for a hulking figure to wrap his hand around Frigga's throat and lift her feet from the ground.

Her eyes met Ava's for a moment as the beast moved to hold the back of her neck. She lifted a hand quietly, stopping the blonde for a moment as the first figure she had seen advanced upon Jane. "Wait, Ava. Its alright."

Her voice was soft and calm, its melodic tune seeming to distract the two attackers from the armed woman and keep their attention on something else. Ava knew Frigga would have a plan, knew that Jane would not be so easily undefended.

The human had been hiding against a pillar, her figure trembling and soft.

"You have taken something, child." The elf said in a voice that lilted through deep baritones. "Give it back."

He advanced upon the woman, his eyes glancing over to Ava as she held her aim on the creature with the Queen and not on him. His hand reached for the human, his fingers passing straight through her as she vanished into a green light.

"Witch!" The enemy bellowed, his voice echoing around the room.

Frigga smiled and looked to Ava briefly before turning to face the man who seemed to be in charge.

"Where is the Ether?" The elf asked as he advanced upon her, his partner's grip wrapping around the queen's front and holding her before him.

Ava shifted anxiously. She did not know what to do. Where to go.

"I'll never tell you." Frigga replied to the question. Her gaze defiant and courageous in a manner that set Ava on edge.

The elf looked at the queen from under scowling brows. "I believe you."

Ava let her arrow fly at that moment, her eyes noting the beast shift and drive his sword through back of the woman who had loved her as her own. Frigga cried out, her face falling with pain as she dropped to the floor, the weapon sliding from her body and batting the incoming arrow aside like it was but a fly to be swatted.

Ava ran at the beast, her knives coming out as her bow fell to the floor beside her. She launched up at the monster, the queen's blood still on his blade. She swung hard at the great beast, yelling in fury, her body following through as she came at him. The blade slipped through the creature's hand, piercing his flesh. He didn't even flinch. He back hand her brutally, sending Ava flying before tossing her bloodied blade after her. Ava felt her head reeling from the impact, felt the sting in her cheek where the skin was broken and the dribble of blood as it fell from her nose. She had landed meters from Frigga, the woman's face peaceful, as if she was sleeping. But she wasn't. She wasn't and Thor launching himself after their enemies was only a conformation of that. The god's voice was louder than thunder, the strike of lightening that came with him piercing the elf's face and sending him reeling.

There was a sound of the hammer making contact with something, of a building crumbling, of Thor continuing to yell. Ava looked at Frigga as she sat, her eyes never leaving the queen. She felt her fingers tremble as she dropped her remaining blade. It shivered against the floor, going silent as the room quieted.

The blond lifted her hand to her mouth, her eyes seeing naught but her despair as what had happened sank in. It had been so quick. It had happened so fast. She should have been faster. Deep down she knew she could not have changed it, that she could not have moved between the monster and the queen, but she wished it so hard that maybe she believed she could have.

Thor turned from where he stood, watching his father as he came through the door as simply a man and not a king. King's do not see their wives lifeless on the floor of their chamber, men do. Husbands do. Lovers do. He lay beside Frigga and lifted her face to touch his, her skin still warm for the moment and her face as if she were simply resting.

Thor stood on the stairs above, Jane appearing in the door. Ava looked at the human and felt no warmth for her. None. Not even a small amount. The human seemed upset, fragile, silent, shaking.

Soon she was beside Ava, her hands dabbing at the blood on the Asgardian's face and trying to be helpful. The blonde batted her aside and rose without a word. She collected her weapons and went to Thor, her tears silent as they slipped along her face.

"I'm sorry." She breathed. "I tried. I wasn't fast enough."

Thor put an arm around Ava's shoulders and drew her briefly to his chest. He said nothing but she knew he did not blame her. His only words were quiet, telling her to head to the healers. Ava knew they would be full, busy and working on all the injured. So she went home, collapsing into the nearest chair and letting her weapons once more fall to the floor as she stared at them.

Her mother appeared first, her voice quickly telling her father to fetch a bowl of water and some cloth. She knelt beside her daughter and asked what had happened.

Ava looked up, meeting her mother's eye. Her real mother. Birth mother. "Frigga is dead." Her breathing increased for a long minute. "I wasn't fast enough."

The woman took the bowl from her husband who sat beside his child and held her gently.

"Its not your fault. You were there. If it could have been different it would be."

Ava felt her mother tending to her wounds, felt her cleaning the blood from her nose and washing the blood and dust from the cut that ran right over her cheekbone. There was some bruising already forming on the side of her face as she shook her head to her father's statement.

"No. It could have been very different." Ava mentioned quietly. "Very different."

0.0.0

The next morning Ava was called to see Thor. He asked her if she would be the archer to light his mother's ship on its way to Valhalla. The blonde agreed, everything about the conversation quiet and empty.

"Does Loki know?"

"He will." Thor replied.

Ava swallowed. "Will he be at the funeral?"

"No."

She nodded, not quite accepting this but not knowing how else to address it. Frigga had been very close to her sons, but she had taught Loki much. She had been his mother in everything except blood, and if that could have been changed it would have been. She would bleed for him, cry for him, give her life for him. And he knew it and would do the same. And now…he would not get a goodbye.

Ava thought about this as night fell, the city wreathed in a darkness that hid its damage. Asgard was wounded, its walls broken, its beams burned, its queen lost.

The whole population seemed to have shown up to say goodbye. Sif had embraced Ava, both women holding back tears. Her warriors three stood in silent support. There was nothing to say. Frigga had been a mother to them all in some way. And now she was gone, and parts of everyone present had become orphaned.

The water was dark and cool, the queen beautiful as her ship carried her form out toward the universe. Everyone looked to Odin who stood as if the breath had been knocked from him. He held his sceptre out for a brief moment and Ava took her cue.

The blonde let the arrow sit in the fire, she waited until she was sure it was burning before drawing it taught against her bowstring and taking aim. With a steady outward breath she released the shot, watching sail up and over the blackness and into Frigga's boat. The last time she had been that sure about an arrow's flight had been the day she took her first life. A simple deer. And now it was to say goodbye to the greatest life she had know. One of a great queen.

The arrow whistled a farewell song, silenced a moment before her boat set alight, burning brightly as a beacon for all the lights that followed. A stream of arrows took to the air soon after, turning the darkness of the ocean into a sea of goodbyes. There they were – all of the fallen.

Frigga's ship reached the end of Asgard, taking off over the edge and holding for a moment before her body and soul turned into a bright stream of light, lifting through the universe as if to see them one more time before vanishing forever.

Lights lifted to the sky from the hands of the people, all of them farewelling someone they had loved. Ava's eye went up to them. She stood beside Sif, both women different warriors who bled the same. The night air was cold, the winter oncoming. Never had the Realm Eternal felt more fleeting. Never had it felt so empty.

0.0.0

Everyone went to their separate places of mourning after the funeral. Funerals. Families went home to remember their loved ones, and those who had known and adored Frigga went up into the palace and sat down with ale and wine to celebrate her with smiles but no chorus. Not yet.

Ava stood to the side, watching the silent festivities. People tried to be happy for the memory of their queen, their empty laughs bouncing uneasily from the high ceilings above them. The blonde shifted, turning her head so she could see the stars from the balcony beside her. Frigga was up there now, watching maybe, smiling, remembering them as she remembered her. Maybe she was sad too. Ava had not thought that when Loki had gone the first time; she had not known enough about loss to consider it. It had always happened so fast. It had always happened without warning.

Soon a little figure appeared beside her, golden goblet in hand, wine sipped slowly as she tried to be a warm presence. "Are you alright?"

Ava looked to Jane from the corner of her eye. "I am fine."

"Were you very close to Frigga?"

The blonde smiled a little, but to herself and not for the human. "She was like a mother to me. She knew about Loki and I before I think even we did. And she loved me as a daughter from before I made a commitment to him. She looked after me when few else would. She would have anyway, regardless of her son. Never in the universe has there been a kinder, more understanding soul"

Jane smiled. "She was so nice to me."

Ava's smile fell, her jaw tightening. "And did you repay her in kind?"

"What?" Jane was confused by the chill in Ava's tone.

The woman turned her head and took the mortal in. Her distain not for her lifespan, but for its impact on the lifespan of those she loved; on who they loved, on how they lived. "You will live forty more years, maybe fifty, when she would have lived five hundred at least. She died defending you. You have brought with you nothing but suffering."

Jane looked indignant, angry even. She met Ava's gaze evenly and replied with a stout voice. "I have brought suffering? What of your lover or husband or whatever Loki is to you?"

"This is not about him. Thor has lost his mother. Odin has lost his wife. This realm has lost its queen. You have wrought more suffering than Loki ever did."

Jane was silent. She looked as if she had been slapped in the face, and maybe that would have been kinder.

Ava exhaled slowly and straightened, taking a step away from the woman. "This is about Frigga. This is about her life. I will enjoy the last moments I have of her before all of this fades away. Goodbye, Jane."

"Yes. Goodbye." Was the short reply, the woman obviously taken aback and suddenly quite unsure of herself.

0.0.0

Ava was called to a meeting with Odin. Fandral was there, as was Volstagg, and others who knew the defensive mechanics of the city. They needed her because she had spoken of the elves before, and they had not believed her.

She retold the story of Ralyn, of how she had been approached by him, of their dealings. She left nothing out, not even the part where he had visited her again, and then when she had run her blade through his chest.

"And you did not tell us of meeting him again until now?" Odin asked, his demeanour firm but withdrawn since the death of his wife.

"You did not believe me." Ava replied, her voice soft and unaccusing. "You thought I was mad."

There was a long pause. "Loki had nothing to do with this then?"

"Not to my knowledge, no. He was furious when he learned I came to Midgard on my own and not with Thor. He asked how, I did not answer. It was not by his paths and he knew that much. I do not believe he had anything to do with the Dark Elves. I do not think he knew any more than you did."

Odin nodded and looked into Ava's face. She saw a man, a man in mourning. And he saw her. He saw that she had loved Frigga, and that she held onto a hope for Loki. Something transpired between them, some sort of respect.

The AllFather turned to the others there. "What is our status?"

"We are still not able to restore the palace shields. Our artillery cannot detect them, even Heimdall cannot see them. My king…" Fandral looked to Odin without his pomp and with a genuine honesty, broken with their situation "we are all but defenceless."

"She is your prisoner now?" Thor's voice entered the discussion.

Odin looked to his son. "Leave us."

Fandral put a hand on Ava's shoulder encouragingly and let her leave ahead of him. He followed her out into the palace, the sounds of the royals voices trailing behind them as they discussed Malekith and the Ether.

Ava had not known the man's name when Frigga died. But she did now. Never had she hated a name so much. Never had she felt so angry at an enemy. Never had her world crumbled along with the actual world itself. It was a hard thing, and just as lonely. But this time no one stood alone, and this time something would happen. This time t was not just love. It was not just hope. This time … she would not be traitorous alone.

* * *

_Please let me know how you liked this chapter. I welcome constructive criticism and I adore hearing from my readers.  
I did not expect Ava to be quite as opposed to Jane as she is, but she does not like her at all. She wants to, but she doesn't. Especially after Frigga's death. They will surely have words on Loki, as I am sure Jane has something to say about that.  
The new chapter will be out in a few days. I'm trying to get 2 - 3 chapters in a week for you guys.  
Hope you enjoyed it._

Blessings,  
P. 


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

The Bifrost was closed by Odin's order, no one was to come, no one was to go. They faced an enemy that was invisible to all, even Heimdal. An enemy that had just appeared, as if from a story-book, and then vanished again. It was like a creature from a tale told to children, one not so completely embedded in fantasy. Ava found some people treating her a little kinder, found them realising that perhaps she had been onto something, that she was no true enemy of Asgard but rather just…they didn't know what she was instead. But she had been right about the elves and at least some felt bad for thinking her insane.

Yet, that sort of thing did not restore friendships or relationships and Ava, quite frankly, wanted nothing to do with those who so easily abandoned her. It was lonely, but at least it was honest.

The whole city was surrounded by tension. They knew their attackers would return; they had not obtained what they had come for. Jane Foster was still there, and the Ether still moved within her.

Thor came to Ava in the dead of night. She had been alone since Frigga's death, Odin having not found a suitable replacement for her guard, and the actual guards spread thin as they watched empty skies for an enemy, any enemy. The blonde found herself in Loki's room, her eyes on the view, her back rigid and straight. It was such a familiar view, one she had seen at every hour of the day.

"Ava." Thor's voice was soft but deep enough to reverberate around the room. "I thought I might find you here."

The woman turned to him, her arms wrapped around her as the fur of her coat stirred in the cold winter wind. There was no fire lit, no life except theirs lingering in that room. But she smiled anyway. "I thought I might revisit old times."

"Do you feel like you could revisit a few with me?" The god asked, his face grave but more sincere than she had ever seen it.

"Of course." She had thought he would come find her. Who else had committed treason so wholeheartedly for desires of the heart?

"Success will bring us exile." He mentioned. "Failure shall be our death."

"They are not unfamiliar odds."

Thor smiled. "I have spoken to Sif and her warriors. Malekith will come again. We must move Jane off world."

Ava nodded. If they had met, herself with Thor and his warriors, suspicion would be high. But they would need her. She had not expected what he would say next though.

"The Bifrost is off limits, the Tesseract locked away. But there are paths off Asgard known only to a few."

"I did not take a path. I rode on the dark energy the All Father gathered for you. It worked for one, but I doubt it would work again." Ava held Thor's gaze easily, the lack of tension between them comforting.

The man took a step closer to her. "Ava, there is one who knows of the paths. Only one."

It all fell into place for her then. Her eyes dropped, her head holding to one side a little as she remained silent, her heart suddenly hammering and her mind moving so fast she did not know what it was thinking.

"You have always brought out the light in him. Mother knew that, she trusted that. He loves you, he always will. If there is hope for Loki it is in you."

Ava looked to Thor and exhaled slowly. "There is hope for him, there always has been, but it has never been in me. Maybe I help him see it, but he is your brother and you know him as well as I – better even, in different ways."

"He needs you. We need you."

"Why? Because I committed treason for him?"

"No." Thor replied softly. "Because he would commit treason for you. I do not trust him, but mother did. You do."

"Do I?" Ava asked. "Do I trust him?"

The man waited a long moment. She knew the answer to that question. She knew it better than him. Yet after so much, after so much torment and pain and loss, he knew she had to ask it. "You love him."

Ava held her arms a little closer about herself as she swallowed and returned her eyes to the view. "Dark places, secret conversations. This is a familiar situation."

"And no less desperate." Thor replied to her. "I know how you felt last time. I am sorry I was so mad at you. You are all I have left of what Loki used to be, you are the only reason I can consider asking for his help."

The woman breathed shakily and had to smile at that.

"I had a glimmer of hope for him in the past, but it does not exist to protect him anymore." The god continued. "But you do. And the memory of my mother."

If all went wrong, if Loki returned to his darkness completely then perhaps all there would be to save him…was her. And even then it might not be enough, but he was Thor's brother, and at least he was trying to find a way to help him, to allow him to help them.

"He may betray you." Ava replied. "Betray me."

"He will try." Thor replied. "But not to you. I saw him in New York as you lay injured. I saw his face. If there is anyone who he could be selfless for, its you."

"Maybe."  
"Is it not worth a try?"

Ava had to laugh, smiling genuinely over at the man beside her. "It is usually I who tries to convince you of such things."

Thor laughed with her, properly, his heart in the sound before it quieted. "I know. Can you not try to convince me again?"

The woman turned to him. "I can. Again and again and again."

"For him?"

She nodded. "For him."

0.0.0

Ava found herself with Fandral, standing with him in full armour beside a chamber where a variety of flying vehicles were kept.

"So this is quite exciting, don't you think?" He asked as he leant against the door. "Both you and Thor fighting for your loves, for safety, for Asgard."

Ava rolled her eyes at the man. Of all of Thor's friends he was perhaps the most…vigorous. And she appreciated his loyalty and character. "This is about the Ether." Her fingers checked the line of her bow unconsciously as it rested in her hands. "About that silly little girl."

"Jane?" Fandral's eyebrows raised. "You do not like her?"

"No. I do not."

He laughed. "Ava, I did not take you to be cold."

"Don't you find it really perplexing that a human, one nearly halfway through their life, has captured Thor's heart and the very thing that may perhaps be the downfall of Asgard all at once?"

"I find it quite normal actually. After a couple of thousand years fighting in the universe 'normal' becomes quite complex."

"Does it?"

"You still love Loki. Some would find that very, very abnormal indeed."

Ava was quiet. "It is abnormal." She admitted. "Mad even."

Fandral's expression softened. "Yes, maybe. But in my experience, all love is."

"Is it love though?" It was the first time she had voiced such a question. "Could love be so…reckless and detrimental?"

"Yes. But it should have an equal weight of goodness, and loyalty."

The blonde nodded. "For a flirt you're quite learned."

"How do you think I became a flirt?" He teased. "You are a good girl, Ava. Fierce, strong. You may have a gentle heart but I would not cross it for anything. He is lucky to have you – make sure he knows it."

"Was I lucky?"

"Gods no." Fandral replied. "You probably picked the worst man to ever fall in love with. But you still wear that ring, you're standing here beside me waiting to help him help Thor. Something in you stirs for him still."

"Lets hope he's stirring too."

Ever since Thor had come to her Ava had been restless. She had never had to quite look for the answer to the question that lingered over her heart. Was it worth it? She could not fall out of love with him, but facing that love had been easier when he was in jail. She did not know what she would do when she saw him, how she would feel, what he would do or say or illicit within her. It was confusing, so very confusing. If she had been looking in on the situation she would have said to run, but those around her who still stood by her side did not say such a thing. They left it to her and they did not make it easy.

She remembered times with Loki, loving times, times when he had been naught but himself and she vulnerable in his arms. It had been beautiful, adoring, and she knew, hoped, prayed, that maybe those times were not lost forever.

0.0.0

_It was cool, the winter air drifting through Loki's chambers listlessly. Bypassing the fire, bypassing depths of the room, and lingering around the edges. But Ava did not care for that cold, in fact she barely noticed it. _

_She lay in a hot bath, her skin almost tinged pink from the heat, her hair escaping from her high and messy bun to stick to the lines of her neck and the skin of the man behind her. Loki had his eyes closed, his fingers trailing like ghosts over her flesh, his palm following her waist, his touch enjoying her skin as they fit together. _

_Ava turned her head, allowing the bridge of her nose to fit into the curve of his throat as she took in his scent. He was clean, his hair damp, his flesh welcoming hers as his heart did. _

_Her hand found his, the paleness of his skin a kind contrast to the subtle sun-kissed hues of hers. She brought his palm up, hers flat against his as she measured the sizes of their hands against each other. His fingers were long, fine, strong. They seemed to tower above hers. Loki's eyes opened as he watched her for a long moment, his lips smiling softly, his gaze tender. _

_Without a word he took his hand from hers and let it drift to the curve under her chin. His fingers followed the line of her jaw, tilting it upward and turning her face toward his as his lips sought hers out. Ava smiled, kissing him happily, not saying anything and not needing to. Sometimes things needed to be said, sometimes things needed to be defined. But other times…they were known, uncomplicated, understood, and appreciated without ever having needed a single sound. _

_And those times were often more clearly defined than any other._

0.0.0

Loki had found his wit in his limited freedom, his walls high up as his silver tongue wove its way around whatever attack came his way. He did not let anyone quite see how he was feeling, he just portrayed a wicked sense of glee and mischief for whatever came his way.

Ava suspected this would be the case, her eyes on the great Dark Elf ship as it screamed its way through Asgardian skies.

"Thor was never very subtle, was he?" The blonde turned to Fandral as he drove their vehicle below and behind Thor's. "I mean…his plan had to have some kind of whacking and punching in it, didn't it?"

"Of course." The man laughed. "Are you ready for this."

"No." Ava replied with a smile, her weapons resting on her back as the wind got caught up in her hair. It was longer now, just as blonde. Maybe she was a touch paler, a little tired, but she still looked very much as she had all that time ago. Still smiled the same, still laughed the same.

"You drive. I don't trust myself to catch Loki when Thor throws him out."

The woman smiled and took Fandral's place at the helm, her fingers moving to guide the ship after the dark one that held so much more than just a few escapees. It did not take long for a figure to get cast out of the vehicle, Thor no doubt not having told Loki his full plan. Ava exhaled, sighing a little in apprehension as she steered after the silhouette and allowed his free fall to end in the safety of the ship.

He landed rather hard in a flurry of green, black and gold. Fandral could not help but laugh as Thor quickly followed with Jane seemingly unconscious in his arms.  
"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki." Fandral smiled as he watched the God of Mischief stand and face his brother as he set the human girl down.

"You lied to me." Loki mentioned, before his wit became more evident. "I'm impressed."

Ava's eyes were on Jane, her thoughts drowned by the presence of Loki and the voice of Thor. "Do what you promised. Take us to your secret pathway."

Her gaze moved to dark figure before her, his attention finally realising that there was another on the ship as he moved to take control. She saw the cuffs on his wrists, the hint of dark circles beneath his eyes, the moment where it all dropped away and she saw him. Her heart was peaceful in that moment as he searched her face, his own written with a brief story of surprise.

Ava smiled at him and indicated he take the ship over. Loki did so easily, his fingers brushing hers in the exchange and his eyes never leaving her face until she had handed over to him. No words. After a few seconds of eternity his attention went to where they were going, the vessel suddenly speeding up as the god grinned, laughing at the feel of fresh air, of the sun, of the scent of the sea.

Soon though whatever thought he had was broken by the sound of gunfire, of the water stirring beside them as a pursuing craft began to attack. Ava looked over at the vessel as Loki swerved theirs, lifting it from the water and never faltering with the speed.

"Fandral." Thor mentioned, his figure still bent over Jane.

The man sighed, nodded, and turned to Ava. He patted her on the shoulder before taking the rope attached to their craft.

"For Asgard." He mentioned simply before leaping over the edge and swining his way toward their pursuers, taking them out with ease and saluting his farewell.

It was going to be hard for Volstag, Sif, and Fandral. They would have to remain and suffer the consequences of their treason before it had even been realised.

Ava stood at the front of their ship, watching the looming cliffs before them as they ploughed through the sky. Thor turned to his brother, saying his name forcefully and with concern. They were traveling fast toward nothing but a rock face.

"If it were easy everyone would do it." Loki replied to his brother, his eyes flitting to Ava as she stood and watched their path.

"Are you mad?"

"Possibly." He replied as the blonde turned to see his answer, her smile coy as she heard his reply.

She turned around just in time to see a small hole in the rock, one barely big enough for them to fit through. She ducked down instinctively, the sparks flying from the side of the ship soon turning into the rainbow hues that signified travel from Asgard. Loki's expression was full of mischief, full of life. He gripped the steering of the craft and drove it forward, everything flashing white before breaking open.

They hit the ground hard, skimming off it a moment later and lifting into the sky of a dark, dusty, desolate world.

"Taa daaa." Loki spoke almost mockingly.

Ava had to smile. It felt good to smile because of him. Soon the expression faded though, her heart sinking at the complete waste around them. It was all black dirt, grey rock, and looming skies. It was a broken city and its surrounds, a place destroyed. This was not a place of life. This would never be a place of life. This was a place of war, and scars, and hurt. It was the darkness she had feared, the loss she had known.

Ava sat at the front of the ship, her body turned to the side as she watched the Dark Elf world roll past beneath them. He watched her, watched her complete lack of care for Jane. Ava had a gentle heart, and yet she ignored the human. She did not seem to care for her at all. It made him wonder, made him curious. Not for her, but for what his brother's love had done to turn the warmest heart he knew so cool.

Thor set a blanket over Jane, Loki watching all the while. "What I could do with the power that flows through those veins."

Ava looked to him sharply, her heart not liking his words at all and her mind not trusting that they were part of a façade. Not entirely.

"It would consume you." Thor mentioned as he wandered over to his brother.

"She's holding up alright."

Ava looked to Jane and nearly scoffed. The woman was practically in a permanent faint.

"She's strong in ways you don't even know." Thor's tone was defensive, his jaw set.

"Say goodbye." Loki said.

His brother looked out at nothing, his thoughts obviously abrupt at the idea. "Not this day."

Loki was quick to reply. "This day, the next…. A hundred years? Its nothing. A heartbeat. You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you prize will be snatched from you."

"And will that satisfy you?" Thor was on the verge of yelling.

"Satisfaction is not in my nature."

"Surrender is not in mine."

"Son of Odin…"

"No." Thor rose to stand before his brother. "Not just of Odin. You think you alone loved mother? You had her tricks but I had her trust."

These words seemed to hit Loki hard, his face becoming pained and defensive at the mention of Frigga. "Trust! Trust? Was that her last expression when you let her die?" His words were spat out vehemently.

"What help were you in your cell? What help were you?" Thor replied with a raised tone.

"Who put me there?" Loki yelled back, Ava seeing in him finally a break in emotion, a crack where hope glimmered through from beneath the jagged edges. A crack he could not close as he repeated the question, this time louder than before. "Who put me there?"

"You know damn well!" Thor gripped Loki by the collar, forcing him back against the wall of their ship.

Ava rose and spoke, her voice clear as the brothers quarrelled. "She would not want you to fight."

Loki looked to her, his expression relaxing little. Frigga had been important to them all. Loved by them all. "Well, she wouldn't exactly be shocked." He looked to Thor as they both managed a humoured, sad smile.

"I wish I could trust you." The god of thunder mentioned.

This seemed to create another crack in Loki, his eyes following his brother and his words directed at him and no one else. "Trust my rage."

Rage. Rage for his mother, rage for his imprisonment, rage for his downfall, rage at the darkness. Rage.

Ava met the man's gaze and remained standing. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to trace the line of his cheekbones with her fingers, to feel his skin on hers, to feel him. She stepped toward him, moving to stand close, his height lingering above hers as she looked up at to him with an unassuming expression.

"Hi." She mentioned quietly.

"Hi." He mentioned back.

"So that was a dramatic welcome back into the family."

Loki laughed a little. "It always is. Speaking of, you are not improving your father's impression of me. Treason – again. You never learn."

"My father's impression is not mine." Her hands went to his, her fingers lifting his one by one and running along them until she paused on his ring finger. Ava smiled a little at the feel of the cool metal there, her gaze not shifting from his. "You kept it."

"It was taken. Mother sent it."

"She was good to me. Taught me some magic."

"Oh?"

"Nothing special. Hence why you never saw me. I have no gift for it. I wanted to visit, I was not allowed. I was not allowed much."

Loki smiled a little and looked to Thor. The man was staring over the waste before them, trying not to listen but not being able to help it.

"What is this?" Ava asked of the space between them. "What is it now?"

"Its something. If you want it to be."

"And what is something?"

"Its not nothing." He mentioned. The mood had shifted entirely. It was private, solitary, a little sad. Theirs. For the moment. "Its definitely not nothing."

Ava nodded and stepped away, letting his fingers fall. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and sat on the opposite side of the helm to Loki, listening to the two brothers talk a plan into action.

Jane slept, her breathing shallow, her mind dark. It must have been a great toll to carry the Ether. A great weight. That Ava could at least respect. But soon she stirred, looking out ahead of them before turning to the Asgardians behind her and mentioning the name of their enemy.

It was happening now. And more than just the fate of the universe would be told. But there was a fate to be had, and it would not be had without Ava trying to change it.

* * *

_New chapter finally here. Sorry it took a bit longer, I have been a little busier than expected.  
Please dont hesitate to let me know how you like the new chapter. I've been adding little 'flashback' moments for Loki and Ava, especially as I look back and remember where they've been and who they were, and maybe are, to each other. Ava is still not fond of Jane, but she'll have to decide whether that dislike is really so serious in the next chapter. It all happens there, doesnt it?  
Thanks so much for reading. I'll get to replying to your reviews ASAP. I love chatting to you guys and hearing what you think so if you want to talk just drop me a message or head to my tumblr - whatever you like. You're all phenomenal and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful readership.  
Keep safe, keep well._

Blessings,  
P.

P.S) I'm really inspired by Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray when it comes to this story. And Demons by Imagine Dragons.  
Go listen.


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

_It was a beautiful evening in Asgard, every star seemed to be out in the sky, every colour bright and alive. The air was fresh and cool, the city streets full of people lit up by golden lanterns. _

_Ava sat across from Loki at a small, private restaurant. She was smiling, her meal nearly untouched as she listened to him talk on something grand, something that lit his face up fully. People passing by paused to see one of the princes of Asgard, his clothes fine and well tailored and his partner dressed as elegantly as he was. She wore a burgundy gown, a golden flower pattern winding its way over her shoulders and across her collarbone. She bit her lip as she nodded at something Loki said, adding a quick reply, his laugh following brightly. _

_It was nice. It was relaxed. Unassuming. Loyal. Honest. _

_They left after finally finishing the meal, their figures wandering hand in hand along the waters edge as the city lights lingered around them. He'd pause, kiss her, let his fingers linger up the line behind the curve of her neck and into the shadow behind her ear. She'd soften for him privately, her eyes closed, her breath soft as she enjoyed simply lingering there in that moment with him. _

_Nothing needed to be said. It was one of those moments, one of those languages. Instinctive, adoring, trusting, completely and utterly connected within the moment. _

0.0.0

Ava's thoughts snapped away from the beauty of the past. It was a little light of hope, a massive contrast to the ruins of the city they were in. Malekith was nearby, his great ship casting a demonic shadow over the desolate wasteland that had been his home planet. An acrid smell filled the air, the small group of Asgardians climbing quietly out of their craft before slipping up the hill before them and looking down upon their enemy.

Ava turned to watch Jane, Thor guiding the woman as his brow held hard against the view before them. The dust of the land stuck to their boots, its bitterness lingering and ugly. The woman's eyes went to Loki, the way he held his bound hands, the way he moved with caution through the darkness as if something greater than that which was before them might leap up and bite him. The sight of Malekith and his small troop of Dark Elves seemed to settle him, relax him almost.

"Are you ready?" Thor asked Jane.

She was about to reply when Loki butted in, replying with a light wit that he was ready. Ava smiled at him, a smile that half understood his humour whilst humorously letting him know that he wasn't quite as funny as he sometimes thought he was. It was pleasant to use such an intimate unspoken language, nice to know that maybe he spoke it back too.

The two men rose, straightening as they advanced up to the top of the hill and looked down on those before them. Two gods watching a worthy challenger. Two brothers. Ava stayed back with Jane, she let them have their pre-battle moment. It seemed like a ritual, a calm before the storm. Her eyes strayed to Malekith, to the beast that had murdered Frigga in her own chamber. She felt an acrimonious rage build up inside of her, a nostalgia for the woman who had believed as she had believed, hoped as she had hoped.

"You know this plan of yours is probably going to get us killed?" Loki mentioned lowly, calmly.

"Yes, possibly." Thor replied almost immediately.

The darker of the two offered his shackles up, a silent query about his freedom lingering before he asked a question that did not need to be said. "You still don't trust me, brother?"

Thor smiled briefly as he reached to free Loki. "Would you?"

Ava glanced at Jane as she watched the exchange, her human eyes not old enough to comprehend the depth of the relationship between the brothers. Her lifespan not long enough to know what it was to be with someone for so long, her moment too short to acknowledge how that kind of timespan changed things; how it altered commitment, love, loyalty. How it was all strong to the end, or a crack in a lifetime.

Jane exhaled carefully as Loki was freed, the apprehension on her face more than evident. Ava knew the man had been unarmed, his bindings all Thor had given him. She quietly slipped the dagger she held in her boot free as she stepped up the steep incline to the brothers, her fingers silent as she slipped the blade beneath Loki's clothes; the unspoken language barely prompting a response from the god as their fingers brushed over each other in the exchange.

"No I wouldn't." He replied to Thor's question, the knife coming free and driving its way through the air and into the other man's flesh.

Jane noticed the blonde just as Loki shoved his brother over the edge of the incline and sent him tumbling injured and disoriented toward their enemy. Her voice cried out, her body lurching and finally gaining momentum.

Ava grabbed the other woman's arm as she lunged forward, her grip tight as she watched Loki leap down with the dagger still in his hand.

"No." Jane called, her eyes darting to the one who held her. "You're on his side?" She breathed, her voice disbelieving.

Ava looked over at the human and removed her bow from her back. "I've always been on his side. It just…took some time to get there."

Without another word she cast the woman after the brothers, not so hard that she would tumble; Ava doubted Jane was durable enough for that, but definitely with enough force that her feet would have to scurry to keep her balanced.

The blonde took off after her, an arrow slipping into her bowstring and the weapon pulling taught as it aimed at the human once they were on the flat. She watched as Loki took his boot to his brother's face, sending Thor reeling as he spat angry words out at him.

Ava could not hear all of it, her intent on keeping Jane back for the moment, holding her ready. Holding her under the aim of her arrow and letting her know her intent with every single decisive motion. Compared to the human, who moved with her arms out for balance and her face scrunched with worry, Ava was tall and elegant and controlled. She shifted with ease, her lithe figure towering over the pretty little human that was Jane foster. They were worlds apart, and nothing could change that gap. That was the message she sent, that was the feeling that guided her bow.

The sound of Mjolnir stirring alerted Ava back to Thor and Loki. She watched the man she loved reached out over his brother and draw the blade high before casting it down with a severe intent. She did feel sick watching Thor's hand come free, felt a chill at his cry of pain and loss and betrayal. His body curled over, Loki's lingering, pacing, moving like a hungry and vicious animal. The hammer collapsed to the ground, no pull, no hand to draw it forth.

Ava let Jane hurry over, let her get close enough to the god of mischief for him to haul her body from her lover as he yelled his name.

The blonde stepped sideways, her bow trained on Thor and her gaze meeting Loki's for the briefest of moments. She swallowed, her expression locked and determined. This was the side she had picked. This was the place she had come to. This was how it would play out. She was not there to bring out the best in Loki, to see his light. She was there to find him in the darkness and hold onto him there.

"I am Loki, of Jotunheim." The man cried. "And I bring you a gift."

He cast Jane forward harshly, letting her land at Malekith's feet. At the feet of the man whose existence had brought about the death of his mother. Or of the woman he had called mother; for the title 'Loki of Jotunheim' did not lend itself to anything of Asgard.

"I ask only one thing in return." Loki mentioned as he watched Malekith's gaze slip from Jane and onto him. "A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

The great beast at the Dark Elf's side spoke in their language, his tongue guttural and ugly and unknown to them. But his words seemed to take Malakith's attention from Loki, his eyes gazing at the group before him.

"And her?" He motioned as he nodded to Ava, the woman who had fired upon him back on Asgard, who had been there when Frigga died. His beast had nothing to say on that.

"Two seats." Loki mentioned.

Ava met Malekith's gaze and relaxed her weapon, her body taking a step back from Thor as the Dark Elf moved upon the wounded figure. She moved quietly to a place near Loki, his form making a small move to the side as if to stop her from going further. It reminded her of their trip to Jotunhiem, of his placing himself between her and the beast there, between her and the army that rushed at them.

Malekith seemed to disregard Ava as he stood over Thor. He commanded the god to look at him, kicking him onto his side as he reached out for Jane.

The little human rose, her body lifting in Malekith's power and becoming completely vulnerable to him. Loki watched with a slight smile, his arm reaching for the woman beside him as the dark currents of the Ether were pulled from Jane. He still kept her just behind him, his body turned a little between hers and what was happening as his gaze held to the ability of the Dark Elf and his desires.

"Stay next to me." He murmured lowly into Ava's ear as Jane collapsed to the ground.

Thor cried out to his brother, Loki reaching his free hand out and casting his magic over Thor, releasing him from the illusion and watching as his hammer flew to his now whole and complete hand.

Loki cast himself over Jane, his arm firm around Ava has he pulled her beneath and behind him, flattening her onto her back with his body between hers and what would ensue. The blonde ducked her head as Thor sent lightening flying into the Ether as it floated, vulnerable, above them. She felt Loki's arm over her, his body warm and close.

The sound of thunder and lightening fizzled away, dust lifting and drifting against skin and into nostrils with an acrid flavour.

Ava looked up to see Thor standing in the settling smog, to see Loki just above her and his gaze intent on what would happen next. She held onto his arm as she watched pieces of burgundy glass lift from the ground, the shrapnel from the Ether bringing itself back to life in a sharp, hideous form.

Malekith drew the darkness into himself, pulling it to his body and sucking it in as a desperate man. Their betrayal was known, their story told. And its ending…that was now completely unknown.

Malekith said nothing before he turned back to his ship, his elves moving in on those before them quickly. Ava looked up to Loki, her eyes finding his for a long moment. They both knew what was coming; another fight, another battle. She gripped his hand, held his form near hers for just one moment longer before letting go to redraw her bow.

The high keel of a projectile drew Loki's attention, Ava's gaze snapping up to see him push Jane aside just as a dark hole opened up above him and began to draw him away. His fingers went out to see if he could cast the blonde free, but he had known she would be alright. She was not aimed at.

Ava dropped her weapons immediately and reached out to him, his hand going to protect her and hers moving to do the same. She watched Loki as he was lifted, the black hole hungry as it began to suck him in.

"No." The blonde cried out as she stumbled up and forward, her fingers finding his and locking hard, her free hand moving to grip against his arm as her feet slipped against the ground in an attempt to find a strong hold.

She was determined not to lose him to that darkness, determined not to see him lost again. Not this time. This time she was there, this time she was not letting go even if she knew he would want her to. In his face Ava saw such desperation, such darkness, such pain. It was as if he knew where he was going. And he did.

Loki's grip on her hand tightened, his other reaching to grasp at the woman and finding a hold on her upper arm. She tried to draw him near, tried to draw him free.

Her hair lifted, her feet lightened. Ava slipped on the ground, scrambled, tried to find a balance. She looked to Loki, her expression terrified and determined all at once. She was trying to stay put and trying to hold him all at once when only one could be done. There was a quiet moment, a peace where they were just floating there. He was being pulled one way and she hung onto him as she tried to go two ways at once. She had always been trying to go two ways at once. Ava saw him there, saw him clearly and she did not fear losing him again, she did not fear seeing him vanish because something in her believed whole heartedly that he wouldn't.

The blonde took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stopped fighting her feet, letting the force of the black hole pull her close to Loki, wedging them together. His arm was immediately around her waist, his grip one that could not be broken. She tangled herself up in him, prepared to die, prepared to get lost forever. Ava buried her face in the curve of Loki's neck, breathing in his scent as she held to him; a whole other realm of unknowns awaiting them.

Suddenly a great force hit them from the side, sending the pair flying free of the pull of darkness. They landed hard, Thor looking at his brother with a scowl before getting up to defend against the oncoming attackers.

Ava looked up at Loki and let out a slow breath that she had not known she was holding. He acknowledged her choice, and he had clung to her as she had made it. He had not let her go, not that time. Maybe it was selfish to not want to go alone, maybe it was desperate. Maybe he should have cast her aside and given her a chance; but it would not have been her choice. That had not been her choice.

Ava rose deftly, her hands freeing her knives from her back as Dark Elves encroached upon them. Thor took off, flying at Malekith and hitting him with great force. But the Ether was greater and it sent the god reeling, the beast that had been with the Dark Elves following him with a heavy stride and a murderous intent.

There was no time to dwell upon the Elvish ship as it took off and vanished, no moment to consider Thor once more or look for Jane. Dark Elves surrounded Loki and Ava, her bow laying in the dust somewhere beyond them. She watched the enemy close on them, her body swinging up and forward to strike first and cast down one of the many.

She fought lithely, her motions not as quick as Loki's nor as strong, but they were deft and well trained. She had been to fewer social events and more training sessions, and it had all been for a moment such as the one she was stuck in.

The last elf fell to Loki and Ava moved quickly to collect her bow, her hand untying her hair as most of it had come free anyway. It fell down her back, Loki's eyes noting how much longer it was; remembering how much time had passed.

"Get Jane." He mentioned to her as he handed the dagger back to her.

The blonde nodded and watched his gaze. Thor was getting pummelled, his body beaten by the unholy strength that belonged to Malekith's right hand. She reached out to the man briefly, her and finding his warm and comforting, familiar.

"I missed you." She mentioned with a small smile, dust streaking her face, its darkness a contrast to the grey of her eyes and the light in her expression. "I missed you a lot."

Loki squeezed her hand warmly and exhaled as his smile appeared. He seemed relieved. "I missed you too." He swallowed, his grip tightening for a moment. "Get Jane. I need to save my brother."

Ava laughed and let him go, nodding as she turned to where the human had been last. She quickly ran to Jane, picking the human up off the dusty floor and quickly straightening her dress and shawl. She handed the dagger Loki had used to the woman, giving her something to protect herself with.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she searched the human's face.

"Yes." Jane mentioned. "I think so. Thank you."

Ava nodded and motioned to the dagger. "Look after that. A great man has used it."

The mortal smiled. "I hope I don't need it."

The blonde looked over to where Thor was, Loki's figure moving in on the beast with a great blade in his grip. She glanced at Jane. "Don't speak too soon. Its bad luck."

Both women looked over to where their counterparts continued their fight, Ava's heart dropping and turning to ice as she watched the monster who had killed Frigga stay standing shortly after Loki had plunged his weapon through him. Her body moved sluggishly into a run that seemed much to slow, much to heavy. The beast hauled the man she loved up, drawing him close and impaling his body on the blade.

It was dead silent, Ava heard nothing, felt nothing. She had just found him properly. She had just been holding his hand. Just then.

His body was cast back, heavily hitting the ground. The monster seemed to pause before being hauled up into one of the elves black holes, its body sucked in, seemingly crushed, as it was sent toward whatever abyss awaited it.

Ava felt like her feet could not hit the ground fast enough as she watched Thor gather up his brother, their words not reaching her as the universe grew cold, silent, desolate. The blonde saw the pair speaking, saw the brothers having their moment, having the moment they had needed since before the Bifrost fell, since before Thor's failed coronation, since before she had even met them.

Ava got there just as Loki reached his silence, his eyes not seeming to find much, not able to find her as she slid to a halt and dropped to the ground beside him, her bow clattering to the side, her hands reaching out for the man a moment after Thor cried out in loss, his teeth grinding in frustration.

He looked to Ava, his eyes brimmed with emotion, with mourning. He seemed as if he wanted to say something, her expression so lost as she tried to find something in his. She shook her head as a tear spilled over her face, carving a path in the dust. Her lips tried to form sounds and only managed a low, soft keel of despair. This time it burned. This time it ripped through her in slow motion, taking everything and leaving her cold and alone.

Ava reached out to Loki, her hands finding the front of his shirt, her forehead planting into the centre of his chest as she grit her teeth before gasping for air and sobbing all at once. She felt her body collapse beside his, his skin still warm as she looked to his face and saw nothing there; no life, no laughter, no light. He had been there just a moment before. He had been hers just a moment before.

Thor rose slowly, his brother's form laying against the dirt of the Dark Elf homeworld as the wind picked up. A huge storm seemed to be lingering around them, its air thick and full of darkness. This was what she had feared most.

Thor embraced Jane, the woman seeming to comfort him. He turned to Ava, watching her hair, that near white blonde hair, flicker in the wind. He called her name. She did not hear.

"Ava, we must go. There is a bad storm."

She heard that. Her head coming up, her fingers loosening. "We cannot go without him." She mentioned, her voice desperate, cracking with emotion. "We cannot leave him."

Thor's face softened. "Ava, we cannot…"

"We can!" She yelled at him, her anger more than evident. "We can and we will even if I have to carry him myself. You will not deny me this. I will not have a bodiless funeral again. You robbed me of me him before, I will not let you do it again."

The venom in her words seemed to hit the god fiercely. He had no reply, and neither did Jane.

Ava searched them both, trying to find some way, something, anything… "Please." She swallowed. "Please. I'll help Jane. You carry him." The woman's voice shook as her hands continued to cling to Loki, the tears falling freely down her face as she shifted in discomfort, in the unwillingness to accept what had happened. Ava was vulnerable, completely open and raw and there was nothing to see in her except that which she was giving out to them. "Please."

She did not care for Malekith anymore, she could not even think on that. Ava was lost, lost and shivering as her body seemed to crumple beside Loki's. She felt Thor's hand on her arm, felt him guide her to her feet. Her eyes watched as the man lifted Loki's body carefully in his arms and took a few steps.

"Help Jane." Thor mentioned flatly, his eyes not venturing to see his dead brother's face. He carried a corpse.

Ava swallowed and struggled to her feet. They felt like feathers and lead all at once. Jane picked up the woman's bow and helped her set it against her back. The group ventured forth, the wind picking up even more as the dust whirled against them. Its touch stung, its push was heavy. The blonde had to put an arm around Jane and help her from stumbling, but soon she did not know who was helping who. The mortal seemed more in touch with death, seemed more accepting. She stayed quiet and simply let Ava walk, providing an unspoken guidance into her acknowledgement of what had happened. It seemed to soften the Asgardian a little, seemed to make her crumple a little more. By the time they found a cave Ava was making no move to shield her face from the wind and dust, making no effort to do anything except pull Jane into the shelter and once again fall down beside Loki as Thor set him against the flattest piece of ground he find.

The man watched as Ava brushed the dirt from Loki's face and hair, her fingers long and tender as they cared for him even then. Her limbs shook a little, her chest rose and fell with uneven, silent, shallow breaths. She was not afraid to look upon Loki as he lay there, not afraid of what she saw. She loved him even then.

Thor spoke with Jane about Malekith, words Ava did not care to hear. She noted the softness in his address when it concerned her. Noted that silent tone that had been so familiar.

Suddenly an abrupt noise began to echo around the cave, crude words and music bouncing around. Ava frowned and looked up from Loki, looked up to see Jane put a device to her ear and speak desperately, urgently into it. It was as if she had made the discovery of a lifetime, her own tone surprised and in awe as she looked about the cave. Apparently she discovered something phenomenal, her hand waving Thor closer, deeper toward whatever it was that seemed to ignite hope against the oncoming darkness in her.

The god of thunder looked to Ava as she watched the pair join hands, Jane completely absorbed in her phone call. Thor had to go, the blonde knew that. And now it seemed there was a way out. But she did not move to follow them. She did not make a noise. She just sat beside Loki, her hand pulling his into her lap as the others vanished into thin air.

Ava looked to the man before her, looked at his hand, and measured it to hers. She had to smile for a brief moment before letting out a sob, her fingers covering her mouth as fresh tears began to fall.

The Asgardian lay down beside her lover, she rested her head against his shoulder as she had a hundred times before. Her eyes squeezing shut as her breath shuddered in grief. The storm outside whirled violently as Ava clung to what remained of Loki. Of what remained of herself. And there was very little of either.

* * *

_A much longer chapter. Please let me know how you liked it.  
There was a lot to put in there, a lot of emotion in such a short time frame. I sincerely hoped you enjoyed reading this chapter and I feel so privileged to have such a wonderful group of followers.  
Ava does have her own tumblr for where I store my inspiration for her character. The URL name is ava-sijur and you just type in dot tumblr dot com after that and her page will come up._

All reviews and constructive criticism appreciated.  
Please all keep safe and well. :)

Blessings,  
P. 


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

It was oddly quiet, the wind chilled as it wafted in and out of the cave on a path only it knew; a path it had carved into the rock time and time again during every single storm. Ava lay beside Loki's body, her own quiet, tired, her eyes dry and her limbs light and unmoving. Her gaze was rimmed red, her hair the only thing that shifted as the weather outside started to fade a little, then pick up, and fade some more.

Eventually she shifted a little, finding Loki's hand and bringing it to hers, measuring his fingers against her own as the coolness of his flesh met the warmth of hers. A new tear slipped free, her hand letting his rest against the wound that had proved his mortality. Her own palm rested over his for a long while, her body returning to a frozen state. Ava did not know how long she would lie there for, and she did not care. It would be forever if it had to be. She made a point of memorising the colour of his eyes while she could remember it, felt a tinge of regret and not having said more to him when she had the chance. Of not letting him see her as he once had, of not offering him that view as he had briefly done for her.

Somewhere out there Thor was finding a way to battle Malekith. The Ether was being fought, the darkness warded off.

And yet there she was, in that little cave in a little dead world killed by war and pride and envy. Ava exhaled slowly, inaudibly. She paused, wondered if she was asleep for a moment. Wondered at the wind, at the soft twitch beneath her hand.

Suddenly there was a sharp gasp, one that sent her reeling back. Ava found herself sitting upright with her hand over her mouth, the other reaching for one of her knives and dropping it clumsily. Its clattering was the only noise for a moment, the green and white light of magic pulling from Loki's chest and vanishing as soon as it had appeared. There was no hole anymore, no place where he had been run through. And his hands, his lovely hands, they were not cold and cracked and dead.

She felt her fingers trembling as the man sat up with a groan, her lips parting as her hand fell away and the words "this is a dream" left her with a soft desperation.

His eyes found Ava's, that green meeting her grey. He smiled, smiled and shifted, and pressed a hand to the damage to his armour. "So that's what that feels like."

His laugh was soft, his hair messy as it had been in the fight. His noise ended abruptly as he saw the emotion in her eyes, the rawness of her pain and fears all bursting forth with a new violence. Loki's expression gentled, opened, his hand finding hers and drawing it to his chest. She was now the cold one, her fingers shaking a little as he let them find his heartbeat, let them gauge the pulse that she knew so well.

"Shhh. Its not a dream." He mentioned quietly. "Its me."

Ava relaxed notably before striking him, her hand leaving his chest and finding itself plastering a pattern over his cheek. Loki paused for a moment to let her action sink in, the brief silence broken by the sound of another slap and the anger in the blonde's voice.

"How dare you!" She beat a fist against his chest, her breath caught up in her throat. "How dare you do that to me again!"

Loki took her wrist as she thumped on his chest. He drew her near, pulling her body against his as he tenderly held her, his fingers combing through her hair, his breath soft against the hollow behind her ear. "I'm a fool. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

And then he felt the dampness of her tears against his neck, her silent wounds reopening as she tried to recover once more from his tricks and his deceptions. Loki lifted a hand to Ava's back and traced the line of where her spine would be beneath her armour. He turned his head to her, murmuring softly. He remembered what it was like to think he had lost her, the rawness, the emptiness that felt so suffocating… "I'm here." He mentioned, meaning every word. She had found him, and he had found her. Both promises, made so long ago, were kept. "I'm here."

He had known what it would do to her, but he hoped that she would continue to hold his hand in the darkness; the hand she had not quite realised had been clinging to hers the whole time.

"I'm sorry, Ava." He mentioned into her hair, his words speaking about more than his most recent trick. Even in that desolate place he could still smell the dab of rosewater she put behind her ear every morning. "I'm a fool."

She leant back a little and brushed the hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear in the way she was so familiar with. "We're both fools." She mentioned as she felt his thumb brushing one of her tears away. "Both of us this whole time."

Loki swallowed. "Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that." Ava laughed, the sound choked with the tears she had spent since she had watched him 'die'. Her voice dropped, her smile vanishing as her face tilted down and away. "I thought you were dead. I thought I had lost you again."

"I'm the only one who has lost anything here." He lifted her chin silently. "I lost that time with you; lost you. If you will have me then I would never lose you again."

"You would have me in this cave for the rest of your life?" She queried, some of her old humour making a sudden appearance.

Loki laughed his familiar laugh, the warm one that only she seemed to know. "I would."

Ava quieted again and looked to him, looked right into him. "But I'm not going to ask you that." She breathed carefully. "I cannot ask you that. A man without a plan does not fake a death. All I can ask is that you don't leave me behind this time."

Her words sank into him, through him. "I did not quite plan to get quite so…properly skewered."

The blonde searched his face, seeing right into him and not flinching at the sight. "What did you plan?

"I plan for a great many things. All different."

"Do they all involve me?"

Loki was silent as he took in the lovely lines of her neck, the shape of her mouth, his own heart unsure of where she wanted to be with him. "If you want to be involved…"

"What I want is to stand at your side. I want that house between the mountains and the sea, with children named for those lost who we loved greatly. I want a little stable and a big telescope and I want you."

Loki smiled at her words, at the memory of when she had said them originally on that hill in Asgard when he had given her that ring she still wore. "I want that too."

"There's a 'but' there." Ava fiddled idly with the folds of his tunic.

"There is."

"Then let me know what it is. Don't hide it ever again." She nodded, her eyes fully on his. "I would be your queen, for whatever realm. I would be by your side and have you at mine. I would not care for ruling, just for you."

The God of Mischief marvelled at the woman before her, at the little blonde with the sunkissed skin, whose limbs never quite seemed to fit her. She had not changed, she had grown just as he had. It was not just her love for him that had driven her forward, but her evolution too, her stubbornness growing into a willingness to go as far as she had gone not just for him, but for who she was as a person too. Her softness was there, he could see it bright as day. But maybe he was the only one who still could. She was fierce, determined, and for the first time he realised that while she had been his light he had also been her darkness. It was a balance, a constant knife edge, a perfect synergy, and the most dangerous feeling of all; love.

Loki kissed her lightly, his lips just brushing hers as he explored her taste, wondered at whether it would be the same. Ava wrapped an arm about him, exploring him in the same way. They lingered there, just touching, just breathing each other in for a long moment.

"Will I only ever know you like this in private?" She murmured. "Who will I know the rest of the time?"

"Me." He mentioned truthfully. "You'll know all of me."

Ava swallowed. For the first time in years she felt the love she had felt for him on those warm summer days, that love she had felt tangled up in his sheets, that love from the hours spent simply looking at stars in perfect silence. Love was fluid, changing, weaving, winding, evolving with hearts as they grew and danced. And it also wandered back to places, to shapes it knew so well. Filled them whole and found more to fill them with later.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I'll always love you. I always did."

0.0.0

A small search party had been sent after Thor, a little group of Asgardian soldiers all bound on either bringing the god home or finding his remains. Ava walked to them alone, her arms wrapped around herself to protect from the chill wind and her body weary from the battle and the emotional torment of the last few hours.

The party took her aboard one of their ships, none of them even noticing the new man who felt as an old friend. He was the one to put a blanket around the woman, the one to find a water skin for her, and the one to send them on their way home to Asgard.

They went back to the Realm Eternal with just the blonde, her body sitting tiredly in the front of their vessel as she watched the dirty darkness of a dead world turn brightly into the light of Asgard. There would be punishment for the betrayal, but not until after the Convergence. The whole city waited with baited breath, every street silent as their world lined up with all the others, the hours ticking by as they drew closer and closer to an uncertain future.

Ava was taken immediately to the healers rooms and was set on a pedestal, laying where she had when they had fixed her broken side upon her last return. The women were silent as they worked, checking her for injuries, fixing small scrapes and bruises and helping her sit up. They did not ask about any of it, they did not prompt the blonde.

Soon they sent her home, sent her to be with her family as the last few hours of their certainty wound down.

Ava's mother was silent as she helped her daughter set her armour and weapons away. Erik stood in the doorway, his eyes on his daughter as she moved around in her robe, her skin still covered in dust and grime. The last thing he had ever wanted for her was a battle, but she had ended up in a war of her own. As everyone did, and as no father could ever stop.

Ava approached the man and embraced him.

"Will I ever stop you now?" He asked in his booming voice.

"Have you ever been able to?"

The man smiled at that, he had to. "Go bathe. We'll be here when you're out."

She did not say anything of the cave, of Loki. But they knew. Her parents knew. Loki was not with her, and according to Heimdal he was not with Thor on Midgard. He had fallen, and by all accounts had stayed down.

Ava sat in her bath for a long time, her wet hair sticking to her spine, her body resting quietly in the warmth that contrasted the cold oncoming winter of Asgard.

Not long after she was with her parents, mentioning softly that she wanted to go for a walk. They could not deny her, they did not want to. She was not theirs anymore, she hadn't been for a very long time.

Ava wandered through the palace, her winter dress doing little against the clear blue chill of a cloudless day. She found herself in the Royal Suites, all the guards dismissed for the lack of royalty currently present. Their precious pieces were kept by magic, their privacy kept by men. And with no queen, and both sons away…the men could be used elsewhere. It was odd, silent, the woman's feet tapping against the floors as she took an all to familiar route.

The blonde figure ended up at Loki's door, her hands quietly letting her body into the room and closing it up behind her. The man stood there, his presence feeling odd in that place after so long of having not been there.

Ava stepped beside Loki as he picked up an old spell book, his fingers finding his mother's name in the front cover; words she had written many years ago. "She loved you." The blonde mentioned in a private tone. "I bet she loves you still."

Loki half turned to her, letting Ava into his space. He nodded at her words. "She talked of you often."

The blonde's smile was sad, nostalgic for the queen. He had not been given the proper time to mourn. He had not even been given a funeral for her. Ava knew that feeling, and she knew its loneliness. "Do you want me to go?"

"No." His words came as he set his book down and his eyes beseeched her. "Please don't go."

Ava took his hand and examined his long fingers. "I wont go. If you will have me stay then I will always stay."

He smiled at her, the light reaching all the way through his features, filling them as it had in times gone by. "Then you shall never leave."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I missed hearing you talk like that. I didn't think I'd ever hear it again."

"I know that feeling."

There was a palpable moment of the unspoken between them, a moment that needed to be brought up but a moment that was also fragile and wrought with emotion. Ava recalled the time she had spent after he had fallen from the Bifrost, the look on his face when he thought he was being sucked toward the abyss again, the feel of his arms around her when she made that choice to stay wrapped up in him.

"What happened, Loki?" Ava's tone was encouraging, unassuming. "Where did you go?"

Loki paused, the silence stretching out as he considered what he would say. Finally he looked at her. "I went away."

Ava ran her thumb along his jaw, her fingers reaching into the darkness of his hair. Her voice was low, her eyes on her motions and her soul looking to his. "It was bad, wasn't it? It was bad enough to send you further than you thought." Her gaze slipped along the line of his cheekbones and up to his eyes. "It hurt you."

Loki was silent for a long moment. He took her hand from his skin and folded it between his palms. "I found my way back."

"Not without a little of my help." Ava smiled.

"Yes." His sigh was deep. "I was not as strong as I anticipated in the beginning."

"Loki." She said flatly. "It took six superheros to bring you in on Midgard, and even then part of me thinks you wanted them to win."

He did not reply to that at all, did not respond in any way with anything more than a bemused smile.

"Will I never know what happened during that time? When you were away?" Ava's voice became sincere, her tone questioning, wondering, her mind and her heart seeking to fill the gaps.

Loki exhaled and took her in, took in the familiarity of her features and the openness in her gaze. "I do not know if I will tell you. Or anyone."

She nodded and leant her body into his, allowing her head to fit beneath his jaw. She acknowledged his words, understanding them as she realised she may never know or comprehend what he had been through. She may never know that side to him, and part of her mourned that. "No one knows you're alive."

"No one except you." One of his arms found its way around her wast, his fingers warm in her hair. Loki said little, he just stood there with her and thought for a long moment on the secrets they now shared.

"I'm sorry." He apologised lowly into her hair.

"No." Ava shook her head. "No. Don't say that. Just be here. Just be here and stay here. Keep your promise."

"I'll try. Trust me."

"You, or your rage?"

Pause. Silence. "Both."

She inhaled her acknowledgement and stepped away from Loki. They were so close, but there had been such a distance made. The past could not weave them together, only they could do that now. "I must go to my family for the convergence."

The god of mischief agreed softly, the time was nearly upon them. "And I must attend to business while it happens."

Ava smiled at his wording. "I will find you after."

"Will there be an after?"

"I hope so." She murmured softly. "I really, really do."

* * *

_I told a few of you that this chapter would be 'up in a few hours' and then it took a day and a half. I am so sorry. I ended up deleting a large chunk of the text accidentally and not realising before I hit save. Yeah. I'm a bit of a dork sometimes and I really do apologise.  
__Please let me know how you liked the chapter. I really do love hearing from you guys.  
__And please let me know what you think happens next/what you want to happen next. I have a lot of ideas and know what I want from the next chapter but its really an open book from this point; after the Convergence...Loki's story is pretty free for me to write. I dont know if he will be in another film, but if you guys think of anything or want anything throw it at me; reader input is so important and really appreciate all of it.  
__I look forward to hearing from you. :)  
_

_Blessings,  
P. _


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

The convergence loomed. The worlds started to come together like puzzle pieces, lining themselves up easily overhead as if they were meant to be seen, as if they were meant to be known about. Ava found herself at home with her family as the time ticked closer. All of Asgard was silent, the winter cold as even it seemed to stop moving and lingered to watch, to wait.

The sound of battle lifted up from Midgard, the flashes of the little patch of earth violent and shining all at the same time. Ava watched her father holding her mother, watched the tender protectiveness of his embrace. She felt his hand draw her near, felt his silence. He knew of Loki now; the search party had relayed the news. They thought his body lost to the wastes of a dead planet. But they had been told no more of how he died; they did not know the sacrifice yet.

Ava did not think that he meant to get run through, not like that. But it was done, and the future was uncertain as the sky above the Realm Eternal.

The woman knew things that those in Asgard did not. She knew of a future, of a person, of a king. She had known the Prince they lost, seen him truly, searched for him when they had given up their sight in exchange for gossip and slander. So she held her tongue and realized that darkness is not an absence of light, but rather a place that light refuses to shine.

Ava would be that light for Loki; she always had been. Since they met she had been a little sun, a sky of stars, all there beaming down upon him. They complimented his shadows, and showed that night is not evil – it is beautiful, cool, a whole world in itself. And she had finally chosen it, finally found that path and kept herself whole in the process. She had lost nothing, but she had found him. She had let go of one world and given up on her twilight. She had lingered in the dusk for far too long and thought it blackness for the confusing nature of its light.

Erik's hand was firm on his daughter, his grip steady as he held her in place beside him as the Convergence finally lined up. Ava leant into her father and wondered where Loki was; to lose him now, to have Malekith win and plunge the world into an evil black that no star or sun could compliment…

The blonde exhaled slowly, her face pressing to her father's shoulder as the noises of battles on Midgard trembled up and echoed around the streets below. Soon the fight plummeted, tumbled, lifted; it spun through the realms unceremoniously, shooting here, exploding there, passing through dimensions in an unearthly fashion, in an alien way.

Rubble from Jotunheim tumbled from the hole in the sky, icy rock landing in the sea of Asgard. Midgardians flew their planes into Vanaheim, Alfheimer trembled at the dust of Svaltarfar as it whirled through their fine lands. Ava swallowed and stood free of her parents, watching, leaning her hands on the balcony as a blast of Thor's lightening briefly forked out of the aligned realms and into Asgard, reaching for home before being sucked back.

Never had any of them thought this kind of occurrence possible during the Convergence. They had expected darkness to seep through and consume all, not for fragments of an unseen fight to slip through the cracks formed in their unusual time.

Ava watched intently as the unmissable red of the Ether wound its way into the Realm Eternal, whirling and hissing as it lingered like a predator waiting to strike. Her mother inhaled shakily and Erik ushered them inside. The blonde wanted to find Loki, to be with him. If this was how their world was to be, she would be with him. But none knew of the man; only her. Her parents thought her tired, too exhausted of mourning to mourn any more. And they were right; had Loki died she would have not been able to cry in their arms anymore. She felt she might have vanished for real; just blown away on the wind.

Ava looked out of the window from inside the house, the Ether crackling like a summer storm without any elegance. The sea seemed to crash audibly upon the shore, its salt filling the air as tears of despair as the whole city seemed to inhale and prepare to give up.

And then…nothing.

Just nothing.

Silence and sunshine and a crisp coolness of a moving winter.

Ava looked to the sky and watched the Ether dissipate and vanish; a memory. A nightmare. A time gone by. The realms slipped apart, their images fading into blue sky.

Asgard remained quiet. There was no cheering, no celebration, not yet. It had been very close. They had almost lost it all. Yet Ava knew that feeling, she knew what it was to have such evil threatening something so loved. And she knew what it was like to see that love once the evil had retreated away. It was refreshing, tender, relieving.

The woman sighed softly and embraced her parents. "It is done then. We are saved again by Thor."

"Not just by Thor." Erik replied. "You were there."

"I was not alone, father." Her tone softened, saddened. The memory of seeing Loki ripped through causing her heart to plummet.

The man exhaled in defeat, speaking words he never thought he'd say again. "Loki…he was good. I heard what happened."

"I told you." Ava peeled his hand from where it had come to rest on her shoulder, her lips kissing his palm. "I told you about him and none could see. Not even him."

"Then we are glad that you were not blind."

"Frigga could see too."

"Then he truly died loved." Erik's smile did not reach his eyes. "And he did not go alone."

"If only Asgard would believe the tale. But Loki was never their hero."

"He was more to you. That was enough."

"I don't think it was." Ava replied softly, sadly, sincerely. "I may have been enough for him, but I was not enough for his shadows. No one was."

0.0.0

Ava walked slowly to the beach after the Convergence. The halls of the palace flooded with relieved faces, and even Sif and her Warriors Three seemed at ease after their treason. Now was not the time to be sought out by Odin; now was the time to celebrate Thor.

The blonde pushed her way through to the empty parts of the lower palace, her feet taking her on a journey to a door hidden in the shadows that opened to the brightest, most beautiful place she knew. It was a window to a soul.

She wandered onto the sand, her shoes coming off so they could be rest against a small rock as she enjoyed the warmth of the ground in the winter sun. Her eyes closed, her face tilting to the open skies. Someone stirred behind her and a sigh slipped from Ava.

"Mother." Her tone was gentle. "Mother its alright."

"You said that once before." Eira mentioned as she wandered onto the sand. The last time she had been there her daughter had been in black, soaked by the sea and willing to give up her soul to find his.

Ava's expression softened, the sound of the water lapping at the shore the only whisper to penetrate the place. "I am okay. I am alright."

The woman walked over to her child and took her in, eyes searching her face, heart examining her soul. "Are you not sad?"

"Of course." The blonde nodded. "But he is home now."

Eira embraced her daughter. "I am sure Niklaus will look after him."

Ava had to laugh at that. "I am sure they are mischievous as each other." She drew back, a soft layer of tears brimming her eyes. "Mother, I am…I have lost a lot, mourned more than anyone should. But I love him, I will always love him and he will always be mine. I was lucky enough to meet a man who filled my soul to the brim and then some. It does not matter what he did; he will always be that man. You cannot just lose that."

"Do you believe in Loki that much?"

"I do. He was lost, that is all. He may be the darkness to Thor's light, he thought himself a shadow…but maybe he was supposed to be. Shadows are powerful things, wondrous and no less splendid that the sun."

Eira had to smile at that. "And in seeing that in him…then he was the sun to you."

"And the moon, and all the stars." Ava replied as her mother brushed a few of her tears away. "I just need some space. I have not had any in these last few months. I have had no private moment to mourn Frigga, or to remember Loki."

The other woman nodded. "Alright, Ava." She traced the young features, her daughter's cheekbones so like hers, the nose so like her father's. "Please come back to us."

"I never left, mother." She kissed the woman on the forehead. "I did not get lost. I just…tried to walk two paths at once. But I never left you. I never will."

Eira exhaled and squeezed her child's hand before retreating and giving Ava the space she had asked for. She was not afraid for her daughter any more, not afraid of her relationship with the sea. So she headed home to her husband, to her suites, to her things, to a life worth of collections and loves while her child, to her knowledge, sat on a beach alone.

And Ava did sit there alone for a while, her body lengthened out against the sun, her face turned up to the sky peacefully. Looking back; so much had changed, and she felt so different. But perhaps she was the least changed of all, and simply the most realized.

Loki stood and watched her quietly for a moment, her hair hanging free, her winter jacket filling with sand as she leant back on it, her long limbs elegant as they stretched out to enjoy the sun. She looked serene, like a winter goddess who had climbed from a summer sea.

Slowly he approached her, watched those grey eyes open to take him in and blink the glare away. He watched her smile, watched the little furrow on her nose flit into a state of wrinkled confusion for a moment as she took him in as he stood in his casual clothes. It had been so long, so very long.

Loki offered a hand to Ava and she took it, standing carefully to her feet. "You're still wearing your boots."

The god looked down at her bare feet and let out a laugh. "It is winter; it is cold."

"Not here." She mentioned simply.

Loki looked to the door to their beach as it lay wedged in the cliff-face. "I did not know your mother knew of this place."

"She followed me once, after your last funeral. When I walked into the water and tried to join you." Her eyes stayed on his face as she spoke, her hand staying in his as a comfort and a reminder that she was still there.

Loki glanced down at their fingers. "So I nearly killed you here, and then on Midgard too."

"And then you were stuck through by a Dark Elvish mutant. I think we're even." She smiled.

He had to join her grin in that, but he shook his head. "No, no we're not even. I did not mean to put you through any of that…had I known I would not have…"

"Would not have what? Fallen in love?" Ava traced his cheekbone with her thumb. "Love is not easy, and it is not supposed to face only easy times. Only the good loves survive hardship."

"So ours is fairly exceptional then." He replied with a sensitive wit.

The blonde laughed. "I think it is exceptionally exceptional." Her gaze softened with her tone. "And I loved you the whole time. I may not have realized it, but I did. I do."

He took her hand from his face and held it tenderly, letting the feel of her skin and their stolen moments seep through them. "And I love you. I love that you are stubborn enough not to give up on me."

"I am nothing if not devoted."

Loki looked into Ava's eyes and swallowed. He was vulnerable there with her, his disguises gone, his defensive humor turned into his own private wit. "You haven't changed."

The blonde shook her head. "You are different. I'm different. But this…" She let her hand find his heart and brought his fingers to linger over the same place on her. "This is the same. And it finds a way, doesn't it?"

Her question was genuine, not rhetorical, her eyes unknowing, her expression hoping his answer would be the one she had been looking for all along.

"Whether it was one moment, or a thousand moments, or more than that; we lost them. We lost each other. You fell and I don't know where you went, I don't know who you became, I just know that you came back and that I never expected you to come back the same even if that was what I wanted. But I didn't come back the same either, did I?"

"No." His response was smooth and quiet. "No, but you're still mine, and I am still yours."

Ava swallowed nervously, her fingers closing around his as his hand rested against her, his skin only held back by the fabric of her dress. People did change, they changed when they were together and when they were apart but it was just more obvious with the latter. It did not mean an ending, not at all. It just meant a stream of new beginnings, new paths, turns and twists and adventures. And if there was one thing Ava was sure of it was that he had her hand just as tightly as she had his; they weren't taking different paths, just plummeting along whichever way they were pulled.

Loki noticed her gaze drift down in thought, her eyes wandering as her thoughts did, that little wrinkle in the bridge of her nose that formed whenever she was thinking. He had to smile at how familiar that was, at how those little things, the tiny, seemingly insignificant things that he loved…he marveled at how they had not changed.

"You are my light, Ava." Loki mentioned. "When I was…gone, I could not see you and I lost hope. But here you are again, ever enduring. I cannot think why you would tolerate me, why I would let you tolerate me."

"There is nothing intolerable about you." She brushed a piece of sand from his hair as the wind began to pick up. The short days of Asgardian winters drew night in quickly, the sun soon fading away from them. "And you are mine."

Loki kissed her sweetly, letting his lips mould to hers as she softened against him. He felt her fingers at the nape of his neck, felt her eyelashes on his cheek and her breath in his skin. Ava loved the secure feel of his arm wrapping about her waist, loved his hand splayed against her hip, his long fingers making a small, brief pattern in her skin. She loved that he kept her hand in his, that it all felt like new love again, that his ring grated on hers.

Pieces of other worlds had fallen into theirs only hours before, crumbling remains in a time of uncertainty. And those rings…a fallen star found in the waters of an alien planet, taken to Asgard and crafted for an adopted Prince and his lover. It only took one world to unite many, and two hearts to find peace amongst them.

"Don't leave me." Ava murmured against the man's kiss, her eyes drifting open as they searched for his, her tone a little desperate as if she might lose him again after that moment. "Don't lose me."

Loki kissed her gently. "I won't." His lips brushed over her jaw, her cheekbone, her temple. "I wont. Never again. I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry." Their tones were hushed, her hand slipping from his neck to the fabric over his shoulder, her fingers tightening in his shirt as his mouth traced a sweet line down her neck. "Don't be sorry."

She turned her head toward his, her lips finding the corner of his jaw and her grip releasing his shirt to tousle its way tenderly through his hair. They paused a moment there, their breath brushing at each others pulse, hearts hammering, bodies lost in minds and souls lost in bodies.

"Take me home." Ava mentioned quietly into his ear. "Keep us safe."

In the blink of an eye they were in his chambers, his magic shielding the room so that any who might open the door would see naught but a cold, lightless space with a Prince's old things inside.

But his fire was lit, its light warm. His bedside had an open book on it, his chair Ava's sandy jacket transported up from the beach. She smiled up at the god of mischief, marvelling at his magic as she drew his hand to her chest and let him know the way her heart hammered away at the speed of a hummingbird. Loki looked down at his touch on her, at the only space where they met with his fingers over her heart.

"Is this home?" He asked in a low tone.

The woman nodded quietly and kissed him anew, letting his taste fill her memory again, letting his scent share hers. She pulled at the waist of her dress, undoing the small bow that held its folds together and let it slip open and away from her flesh. Her lips drew back from his, the distance so little that their mingling breath could be mistaken for a feather light tough. Ava felt his hand move along the curve of her waist and around the small of her back. He felt his fingers travel up her spine in that familiar way, his eyes closed as he reminded himself of what it was to be so vulnerable with her, and to have her so vulnerable and open in return.

She felt like milk against his skin, tasted of honey and oranges and smelled of her and that soft rose scent she seemed to always dab into her skin. Loki could feel her smile as he kissed her, felt her breath catch for a moment as his arms wrapped her tightly against his body. He felt her lift onto her toes a little as she pushed his coat away from his shoulders, his own smile evident as she made the little move and as her touch explored his exposed edges.

They renewed their reminder of each other, slowly, sensually refining the most intimate moments of their tightly wound souls. Loki let his skin melt to hers, let her undress him, find him, to seek out any changes in his flesh and his soul as the fire light played timeless patterns over her skin.

Arms wrapped around bodies, forms holding close and simply embracing, kissing, being near as skin slipped on skin and remembered what it was to melt into another.

Ava trembled a little, her breath shuddering as she let her forehead rest on his, her lungs remembering how to breathe as they tried to recall why it was that they needed air to begin with.

"I love you." She mentioned in a tone barely above a whisper.

Loki brushed a small tear of hers away and breathed her in. "I'll always love you. I promise. And I promise to never break that promise, that I never broke it."

The blonde exhaled carefully at his words as they crashed against her. Her fingers gripped briefly at his back, her own soon pressed to the fine linens of his bed as his arm wrapped around the small of her back and lifted her to fit snugly against him.

It felt good to see him so clearly again, the light more blinding than any darkness, and more overwhelming than any search. She had found him, and her had found her. They had been on different pathways, wandering parallel and reaching out over an array of thorns. Whether they had leapt into the middle, or wandered onto a different route they did not know, but they were not reaching anymore; they were grasping. Grasping, gasping, getting completely lost in each other and not caring about all else for a few blessed moments.

They got wrapped up in each other, in the bliss only a real love can bring, in the contentment only a true commitment can obtain. Ava wound her way around Loki, forgetting which way was up, which way was down, and only knowing what it was to love and to make love and to find those two things together again.

She could taste small traces of his sweat, feel his kisses all over as he felt nothing but the soft sureness of her touch and the silk of her skin, her pulse, her breath on his once more.

Ava found herself sitting against Loki just as they had that first night, her legs wrapped around his body, her arms wound once around his shoulders, and once against his body. They were fitted tight as kisses found collarbones, shoulders, and the fine lines of throats. But he shifted her and she watched him, watched him as his thumb traced the small scar beneath her ribcage, his mind wishing his magic could have taken the pain that had come with it away. She lifted his chin with a gentle finger and kissed him deeply, assuring him of her and her presence against him. He had been to places she could not imagine, seen things she would never wish to see. Her wound would have been nothing compared to his trauma.

Morning came slowly, the sheets tousled around listless bodies, the sun touching souls that had found some true rest. Ava watched Loki wake, the dark circles under his eyes not so apparent. She smiled, felt her leg stretching along the tangle with his as she lengthened herself into wakefulness.

The man's arm tightened about her waist, the haze of sleep warm around him. They needed to move, to get up, to continue in their guises. Thor would be back soon, the Allfather would need to meet him, to sort out Sif and her Warriors, to deal with the city after the day before.

But they were lax to let go, unwilling even. Ava let her lips brush his kindly, let him move her hair from her face and neck and smooth his fingers through whatever tousles he had made in the hours before.

"Come back." She mentioned in a half sleep. "Come back to me."

"I'm not leaving." He soothed. "I'm here."

* * *

_A bit an intimate chapter for you all. I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to reunite Ava and Loki properly; after so long apart they really just had to find each other in every way. The big 'reveal' of Odin being Loki in disguise as he speaks to Thor will come in the next chapter - this one needed to be about confirming where they were. Loki, or at least my interpretation, is not going to be vulnerable and open with anyone except someone who he had been vulnerable and open with before his fall. Ava knows a side to him that is hers alone because she is the only one to share that type of depth with him. That's not to say no one else knew him so well, just that a romantic relationship such as theirs can see an angle that a sibling relationship cannot, and vice versa. I wanted to keep Loki true to how he had been, to how he's developed, and if you feel I havent done that then please let me know. I wont be offended.  
Writing 'intimacy' is always a bit more revealing for the author. I'll never write smut, but I do think there is a beauty to true love making. Not necessarily sex but love between lovers, a new depth and progression of intimacy. If that makes sense.  
Anyway. Let me know what you thought and I hope to write the next chapter ASAP. Sorry if they've been taking longer than expected; I've been busier than I anticipated. I do value each and every one of you readers so if you have any concerns or expectations please just let me know. I will always make time for you._

Blessings,  
P.

p.s) You can find my inspirations and ideas for Ava (a sort of thought board) on tumblr under the url ava-sijur.  
p.p.s) Massive thanks to basestsentimentality on tumblr for helping me explore new avenues to Loki's character. RP isnt something I thought I'd really get into but I love how it allows me to explore an alternative response from Loki to the one I would expect to write myself. Its really opened my mind up for the story and I adore basestsentimentality for her help, and for putting up with me.


	12. Yuletide

**Yuletide**

* * *

The snow was falling thick and hard over Asgard, the waters frozen over and crisp with ice. Yuletide was coming, the celebration similar to a Midgardian Christmas. A winter feast, a time for loved ones.

Ava wrapped herself in wool and fur, her nose red, her cheeks pink, and her fingers buried deep in her pockets. The time to swim had passed and the time to enjoy warm fires and hot drinks had arrived. It was a beautiful season; clean, bright, one that made you acknowledge the warmth of home and the place where your heart was most at rest.

The blonde wandered through the halls, the sun of Asgard down and the moon high. The palace was quiet, many having returned home on the eve of their celebrations to spend time with family. Ava had been in the great hall for a feast; Odin at the head of the table, her father at his side. And she had sat quietly and picked at her food, retiring late after listening to a line of music.

There were sprigs of holly and mistletoe on the walls, cherries in bowls in tables, rich wines, dark chocolates, and the scent of smokey wood as its heat continued to cook an array of meats well into the night.

Ava had returned home, changed from her party clothes, said a soft goodnight to her parents, and snuck out for an evening walk. She hurried through to Loki's room, his magic embracing her, hiding them as she closed his door behind her.

The glow of his fire was warm, his disguise gone from his body so that the light might play on his features. He sat on a sofa with a book and smiled when he looked up to see Ava. He closed the pages he had been reading and rose to meet her, his laugh soft when he saw her face and the way the cold had nipped at her flesh.

"You are freezing." He let his guard down completely, his hands taking hers and peeling her gloves off before guiding her to come sit beside the fire with him.

"Its quite crisp." Ava smiled as she pressed close to him, waiting for the warmth to reach her before undoing her coat and letting it fold on itself behind her. "And sneaking around without a fire does not allow me much room for warmth."

Loki's face fell briefly. "I'm sorry. It is only for a time."

The woman ran her thumb along his jaw. She knew his plans, his magics, his intentions. And she knew him. Ava lent in for a soft kiss. "Its fine." She murmured against him. "I have you. Its more than I could ask for."

The God of Mischief pressed his forehead to hers and let his fingers brush the hair from behind her ear. "Is it midnight yet?"

"Yes."

"Happy Yuletide then."

Ava smiled. "Happy Yuletide, Loki." She kissed him warmly, her lips lingering "I love you."

He sighed softly. "I will have to get you a gift some other time."

They could do nothing for each other without arousing suspicion. The time they spent beneath the guise of his magic was all they had. "I don't want a gift. I'm happy. I have everything I could ever want."

Ava looked to Loki as she fiddled with a fold in his shirt. He watched her tenderly, the guise of Kingship gone, the defensive wit melted away. It was just him. Just him sitting there with her.

"If you could have anything right now" he asked "what would it be?"

"You." Ava laughed softly at the cliché of the reply. "I just want to lay in bed all day with you, kissing you slowly, loving you fully. I want to hide under the covers and talk, and eat toast and find crumbs all over the place an hour later. I want to take a long hot bath, and then climb back into bed to kiss you some more."

"So there will be lots of kissing?"

"Of course. What a silly question." She teased.

"Okay good. I was just checking."

Ava could not help but smile, his fingers guiding her chin up so he could press his lips to hers, kissing her deeply.

Loki let time pass simply there as he lost himself to the feel of her, the scent, the touch, the taste. He was happy. For the first time in a long time he was just happy. It was not a complicated thing; it didn't need to be. He loved her, she loved him, and they found a home in each other.

Soon he was wrapped up in her, lost to her, and he knew she felt the same. Ava could feel her heart thundering for him, his arms strong about her body as they expressed that which could not be expressed in words.

She lay with him as the snow continued to fall, tangled completely, her hand drifting along the lines of his form. Ava breathed him in, her head resting on the pillow as she watched him watch her. She smiled again and saw her expression carry up through him.

"Its not exactly all day, or breakfast in bed, or a hot bath." Loki mentioned, his tone a little regretful. "But its all I have right now."

Ava shook her head at his words. "I don't mind. I don't mind at all. I don't need mistletoe to kiss you; I don't need a Christmas miracle. Its all here. I have you back. I have you safe. That's enough."

"I would give you everything." He replied. "And one day you will sit by my side as my queen and lack for nothing."

"I already lack for nothing." She brushed her fingers through his hair. "Just stay with me, by my side, throne or no throne. Yuletide is not the only time for giving, for being with loved ones."

Loki kissed her anew and drew her close again, refreshing the feel of her against his flesh. "All right." He replied. "But Yuletide is a time to celebrate together."

"I know." She felt his pulse beating through her skin. "So celebrate with me."

* * *

_Just a little short as my gift to you this Christmas. Thank you all for being such lovely readers. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, that you smiled and ate and loved. _

_I will have the new chapter out ASAP. I'm still feeling a bit ill and tired but I am making the time to get a chapter out for you - I promise. _

_Let me know if you liked this little short. I sure did like writing it. Its so nice to have Ava and Loki together and to be able to write them both whilst they are vulnerable and with their walls down. Its quite refreshing after 'Into the Dark'. Haha. Anyway. I hope you liked it.  
_

_Eat, Drink, and Be Merry this Holiday Season. And Stay Safe.  
Blessings, _

_P. _


	13. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

It was a very difficult thing to do, getting out of bed and untangling yourself from the one you loved. It had to be done; they both knew it. They had to get up and go about the lie; to go about a life that they only knew the truth of. A life where Loki was alive and where Ava was not in mourning, a life where both of them had gained something, where nothing had been lost. It was a knife-edge; it always was. To walk between the pureness of light and the ever present knowledge of darkness; they needed each other to exist. It was stupid, and wonderful, and while it could be fatal it was also renewing and life giving. It was a relationship of balance and one wrong tip…it would send them both plummeting.

Loki knew this as he watched Ava, his fingers playing with her hair as he got used to its new length. His touch drifted free of the blonde strands, her eyes staying on his face as she felt him travel down the curve of her waist and in, moving up again to the small line of raised flesh between her ribs. His eyes closed as he memorized the scar, as his heart faltered at the memory of having thought he'd lost her. That had been a wake up call. He'd had to lose her to realize that he couldn't; that he never wanted to.

Ava closed the distance between them, kissing Loki softly as her hand came to rest against his cheek. "Its okay." She murmured as the sun rose higher. They had to get up.

His scars ran deeper. She could not see them but she did not doubt their existence. His eyes opened to hers; green to grey, both the colour of the sea and the sky as they met to stretch out in an eternal view.

Loki sighed and sat up. They would need him. Need their king soon. Thor would be back, Sif and her Warriors tried for treason. And all of it done under Odin; in his voice, in his name, with his command.

Ava rose with her lover, her lips pressing to his shoulder as she sat beside him, to his neck, the underside of his jaw. Loki smiled and turned to capture her kisses with his, refreshing the feel of her against him.

"I love you." He spoke against her lips, his eyes half closed.

Ava smoothed his hair with her fingers, fiddling idly with the strands that rested against his neck as she lingered in the pure intimacy that hovered after a kiss. "I love you too. You must go. I cannot keep you. You are not mine to keep."

"I am yours."

"Yes. And I belong to you. But I have no say over Odin, and he none over a once-again-widow."

Loki exhaled and drew her against him in a brief embrace. "I'm sorry you have to do this."

"I'm not." Ava looked to him with a warm expression. She shook her head to confirm her words to him. "I'm not at all sorry. I have you back. I made my choice a long time ago. So did you."

"I would not have made it had I known how it would affect you."

"It wouldn't have changed my decision." The blonde replied truthfully, her voice in a low whisper. "I would do it all again to have you. Many would call me mad, and maybe I am. But…"

Loki stopped her with a touch, his thumb tracing along her cheekbone. Maybe she was mad, maybe they both were. But what was love if not mad? It had hurt them both, taken them to places that lovers should not go. But it was still there and surely that said something.

"Go." She peeled his hand from her skin. "I will come before Odin to hear the outcome of my treason. I trust he will act as a king should."

"I am sure he will." Loki replied smoothly, his smile a little roguish.

"And if I am not in jail afterwards I am sure I will be found in my chambers. They are perhaps safer than these for I will not have vanished from home for hours on end not to be seen by anyone."

"I am sure you will be there. If you're not in jail." Loki's tone was light, witty in her acceptance of his plan and her involvement within it. She was at his side now, his equal. He would never make her bow, and he knew she never would. But there she was, and there he was. Both of them. Together. His kingdom. Her heart.

Ava had to laugh softly at him, her hand giving Loki a small shove to send him on his way. A few hours later the woman found herself at a late breakfast with her family. They thought she had slept in, and that her quiet was a result of the oncoming audience she would have with the AllFather. Ava did not have a good record when it came to treason, but then again neither did Thor, Sif, Fandral, or Volstagg. Hogan had fortunately been away for this particular event, but no doubt the reputation of the warriors three was going to change and become once again more infamous.

Erik looked to his daughter. There was no scolding. Not this time. This time she had gone with Thor and this time her actions had helped save Nine Realms. This time…her treason was understandable and accepted. At least by onlookers.

Eira watched her husband watch their child and could not help but feel sad. Ava had lost her love not once but twice, and now she would stand before the court again for a crime committed for the heart. If her brother had been around he would have no doubt gone with on her latest venture, but he would have probably saved her from the one before that. Or that's how she saw it. Nicklaus would have been his sister's savior. Maybe.

She helped Ava dress, steering the girl away from the black of mourning and into a navy number with gold lining. Her daughter did not protest, and even sat patiently for her mother as she worked the front pieces of her hair away from her face and into a pair of plaits that met behind her head and ran down her back.

Ava could say nothing about Loki. But her heart fluttered and soared and she was glad inside. She smiled at her parents, the distance in her gaze not from her loss as they presumed but rather from the deception. She hated not being able to tell them, but in time all would be revealed and she hoped they would understand.

Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg all stood outside the throne room. The guards held them as they awaited their turn.

"Is Thor not here?" Ava asked as she met them, her gaze soft, her voice low.

"He is just returned." Sif replied as she turned to her friend. "How are you?"

The blonde nodded in acknowledgement of that which was unsaid. That she was not simply asking a question of welfare. "I am alright." She replied. "It is not easy but…unfortunately I can say I have done it before. I know what to expect this time."

The warrior placed a hand on Ava's shoulder and squeezed in encouragement. "Without Loki Thor would not have been able to get to Midgard. I know he did wrong, and I know my judgment of him was harsh. But in the end…maybe you were right to have hope in him all along."

The words were honest, more honest than Ava had been expecting. They took her aback a little and she had to swallow before accepting their sincerity. "Thank you. Loki will…would." She paused. "Loki would have appreciated that."

"We will have to ask for a proper sendoff this time."

"There will be no proper sendoff." Ava replied, her eyes drifting over the three before her. "There is no body."

The silence that followed was solemn. No one offered to go search for the corpse, no one even mentioned the possibility. But before more could be said Thor was there, his huge gait drawing him closer and his expression severe. He had just come from Midgard and he obviously had something to say to Odin.

He paused upon seeing Ava, the freshness of Loki's passing renewed in him. The woman felt bad for keeping the secret from Thor, felt bad that the God of Thunder might suffer because of her silence. But she was also mad at him, mad at the man who would have left his brother's body behind. She'd had to yell at him, to plead that for all his godly strength could he spare some so that her lover might not be overcome by the dust of a dead planet. Yes he had felt Loki's loss, and yes they had reunited briefly before his passing. And yes Thor had to save Midgard. But he had done it after taking his brother somewhere safe, before Ava had known the truth. And he had still had enough time.

Thor could feel her closing down toward him as he approached. He could feel something similar to loss; something not unlike the feeling he had when he realized how Loki had been hurt by him without his realizing.

The god placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder and he drew her close into an embrace, whispering a low apology in her ear for whatever it was that she needed to hear an apology for. Ava softened in his arms, her hands gentle on Thor's back.

"How are you?" She asked quietly. "Will you tell the All Father of what Loki did?"

"I will tell him. I am sure he knows already." Was the reply. "I think my brother would have liked the praise."

"I think he would have needed to hear it more than anything else." Ava returned in a tone near a whisper. "I think your shadow…I didn't believe it was there at first, I thought it was all just something he thought of. But…you can have no shadow without light. He loved you." She spoke truly. "And I know that he knew you loved him."

"Thank you." Thor smiled sadly. "You knew his heart in a way no one else did. You and mother saw him as he was. I wish I could have done the same."

"You saw him as he was too. You just didn't get all the angles."

"Was it a good sight?"

"It was beautiful. He was…" Ava paused and let out a slow breath, her eyes drifting as she considered how close she had been to losing him. "He was wonderful. He always will be. He just needed the time to be seen from every perspective. He is complicated, deeper than any thought. But it is, it was, magnificent."

Thor drew Ava near again and kissed her forehead tenderly. "He was lucky to have you. I am glad he saw you before the end."

Ava smiled and nodded, saying no more as Sif and her warriors were taken into the chamber and brought before the All Father. She was silent as she waited with Thor. There was little to be said. They had been as siblings, and even then they still had that bond. But Loki was gone, and Ava had taken his side. She had let go, grasped him, and held tight for whatever had come. Her feet were off the ground, her hands clutching at life, and all else would happen as it may as they wound tight to each other so they might never again be torn apart.

Ava watched Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg emerge relieved. Odin was understanding and their actions had helped save Asgard and all the Nine Realms. They were scolded, but not treasonous.

Ava went next, walking smoothly toward the throne and they grey face that sat upon it. She knelt down, looked up, and awaited a response. She said nothing, gave away nothing.

"This is the second time you have come before me for treason." The voice was so distinctive. And it was not Loki's. His reason, maybe, but not his voice.

The woman nodded at his words. "Yes. This is the second time."

"Tell me." The Allfather rose. "Is this time different? Were your reasons altered?"  
"Yes. This time I was not going to find something and bring it home. This time I went to save what I had found."

"Did it need saving?"

"No. But that does not mean I wouldn't want to all the same."

The smile was not Odin's, the little upturn of the lip and the rate at which the response entered his eyes. "You loved him."

"Very much."

"You were ostracized because of him."

Ava nodded.

"And were those who gossiped correct?"

"No." The blonde stood. It was an act, but the words were true. It was a game, a play, a stage. And the actors knew each other full well. "They were never correct."

"Would you have their wrongdoings righted?"

"Are we not here for my punishment?" Ava responded surely. "One cannot control the tongue of a rumour after all."

Odin nodded. "You are not to be punished. I think your heart has suffered enough, don't you?"

The blonde's nod was quiet this time, barely visible in its motion.

The man at the throne stilled at the response and exhaled slowly. "I think there has been enough heartache. You are free, Ava. Free of watch, free of punishment. You helped save the Nine Realms and though your actions went against my order they were true and noble." Odin remained standing and looked down upon the white blonde hair, the sun kissed skin. The man himself would not know the scent of rosewater, the taste of oranges, the feel of warmth. But Loki did and his eyes saw her, his heart knew her. "Go. Next time you think of defying the throne to save a heart, or a realm, or even yourself; just talk to me. I may be much more reasonable to the muses of your mind."

Ava had to smile at that. She dipped in a low curtsey and returned out of the throne room, not looking back and not mentioning any secrets. Thor watched her come through the doors and inhaled audibly. The woman set her hand on his arm and looked to his eyes. "Just speak your heart. He will understand it just as he has understood mine."

"He is my father." Thor mentioned solemnly. "And I doubt what I have to say will be understood by his heart."

"Say it anyway."

He squeezed her hand and stepped away, moving through the open doors and down toward the throne. He knelt before, staying down and staying silent as he awaited the word of the man who stood above and before him.

Odin's voice was booming, even, carrying through the hall as it had for a great many years. "You once said that there would never be a wiser king than me. You were wrong. The alignment has brought all the realms together. Every one one of the realms saw you offer your life to save them. What can Asgard offer its new king in return?"

"My life." Thor rose. "Father, I cannot be king of Asgard. I will protect Asgard and all the realms with my last and every breath but I cannot do so from that chair. Loki, for all his grave imbalance, understood rule as I know I never will; the brutality, the sacrifice…it changes you. I would rather be a good man than a great king."

"Is this my son I hear or the woman he loves?" Odin replied, his question genuine, calm. The topic yet unclosed and his mind seemingly decided on why Thor was deciding as he was.

"When you speak of her I never hear mother's voice." Thor watched Odin's face fall at those words, the king sighing at the freshness of Frigga's passing. "This is not for Jane, Father. She does not what I came here to say. Now forbid me to see her or say she can rule at my side – it changes nothing."

Odin sat upon his seat, his hand still clasping his staff as he seemed to give in to what Thor was saying with an air of defeat. "One son wanted the Throne too much, another would not take it. Is this my legacy?"

"Loki died with honour." Thor replied with a steadfast tone. "I shall try to live the same. Is that not enough?"

The grey haired man listened, nodding vaguely to the question. It may not have been enough; as far as Asgard knew Odin was now wifeless, sonless, and alone on the Thone with none to follow him.

Thor offered Mjolnir up to the king, pausing as a wrinkled hand stopped him.

"It belongs to you, if you are worthy of it." Odin stated.

Thor became solemn, the mood shifting into finality. "I will try to be."

"I cannot give you my blessing, nor can I wish you good fortune."

"I know." Was the quiet reply, the man's body turning to leave.

The voice of his father stopped him. "If I were proud of the man my son had become, even that I could not say. It would speak only from my heart. Go, my son."

Thor smiled warmly, genuinely at the words that he had heard. "Thank you, father."

It took some time for the figure in the red cape to vanish down the hall, and once it had, and once the room was silent and empty the man on the chair, the king of Asgard, dissolved in a flash of green and gold. The colour peeled away his exterior and left in its place nothing but the truth.

Loki sat upon the throne with a devilish grin, his gaze on the space where his brother had stood and given up rulership of Asgard.

"No." He mentioned in reply to Thor's last words. "Thank you."

Ava closed the door to the hall after watching Thor pass her. They had exchanged warm words, soft thank yous. He could feel a chill with her now; feel her walls up after what had happened with Loki's corpse. That could not be changed, that exchange could never be taken back. But she was still soft for him, still as family.

Loki watched the blonde walk toward him and remained on his throne, smirking a little as she climbed the steps to meet him.

"How was I?" He asked, not trying to hide the smug tone in his voice.

"I do not think I will ever fully understand your plan, Loki. But I know you have thought it out. And I know you are a great man." She stood before him openly and offered her hand, guiding him to his feet as they looked out over the empty hall together. "So this is it?"

"For now."

Ava nodded. "I will never get used to your magic."

"I hope you never get used to that spell. I am not my father."

"No." She shook her head. "You are not. You never will be."

"Thank the gods for that."

Ava did not ask where Odin had gone. She did not question it. Not because she did not want to know, but because she knew he would not want to tell her. "I must go. I must tell my father of the AllFather's decision."

"I am sure he will be pleased." Loki squeezed her hand. "I will find you later."

She turned to him, letting her lips brush his in a sweet, lingering kiss before she descended the steps away from him. Love had always been a secret between couples; something they could not share or speak of, something that was private and theirs alone and not for anyone else's consumption.

The news and stories of Loki's fall to save Thor spread through Asgard quickly. He was still a darkness, something that they did not understand. But he was seen as necessary now; as a compliment to Thor and not his opposition. Ava found that those who had abandoned her friendship after Loki's fall were kinder, that their attentions were warmer and they actually spoke a few words to her from time to time.

Ava found herself walking through the palace in the early evening, her coat tight against the chill and her hands holding the last of the winter flowers before even they froze over. A group of girls, familiar faces, approached from the opposite direction and paused. One stepped forth as the blonde passed them, her smile somehow unnerving in its generosity.

"Ava." She mentioned in a welcoming tone. "How are you?"

The woman stopped and looked to those she had once called friends. She pursed her lips a moment and took them all in one by one. It felt so adolescent to observe them, to see them move as a unit as they did. Friendship was one thing, but what stood before her was survival. And she had survived without them, in spite of them.

"I am fine." She replied. "Tired, and cold, but fine."

"We are sorry to hear about Loki." The frown and the tone were true. The tone so easily switched.

Ava smiled. "You are sorry to hear it only because you heard of what he did to help Thor to Midgard. I am sorry you believed in rumors before that."

"We never believed him to be the villain."

"Yes you did. You just don't want to remember now that he is a fallen hero. Men are men regardless of their titles. Their hearts are their own, and you did not take the time to hear any of the truth to Loki's. You cast me out. Denied me access to your parties, spoke of me as some wicked would-be-queen. So you knew as little of me as you did of him and I thank you for it. I have changed. I have grown. And you…you will go back to your gossiping and you rumors and your lunches. I wish you all the best with that. May it bring you fulfillment and joy."

No doubt the gossip started immediately as she walked on, her back to them and her eyes straight ahead. Ava smiled smally, glad to have not been fake in her reunion. People could be fickle, and they wanted to justify that by crafting stories from truth and making them tales that fit their beliefs. It had been hard, but Ava had seen the good and the bad in Loki and she had opened her eyes to them both. It was never one or the other; you took it all or you took nothing.

And as far as friendships with those who would have nothing to do with her in the hard times…they were something she could do without entirely. She would rather have nothing than such emptiness.

0.0.0

Showers were hot refuges in winter. Ava stood beneath hers, her freshly picked flowers sitting in water just beyond the door in her bedroom. She had her eyes closed to the heat, her skin a soft pink from the way the water drilled hotly against her flesh. She was lonely, but it was a good kind of loneliness. A solitude, a secretive path that had an end, that had a destination.

Her mind was on this when she felt another presence in the room. Her eyes opened and she smiled. "Where is the AllFather?"

"The hour is late." Loki's voice replied. "And he is weary."

"And Heimdal knows this?"

"Heimdal sees it."

Ava nodded, the frosted glass of her shower only showing her the way the man on the other side's silhouette. It distorted the shade of his skin, blurred his lines, made him just a voice with a shape. "And what does Heimdall see here?"

"I hope he is not looking this way. I will have to have his head. But if he does…" Loki's tone was smiling. "He will see you sleeping."

"And that is an image you have created accurately?"

"From memory."

Ava peered out from the shower and saw the dark haired man sitting in the small chair beside her tub. "Join me." She mentioned gently. "That chair is decorative."

"It seems quite functional." He teased as he rose, peeling his clothes from his skin as he went. "But if you insist…"

She welcomed him into the little space, her arms finding his and drawing him beneath the stream of water with her. His kiss tasted of steam and was wet with whatever liquid managed to find a path between them.

"Was it a long day?" Ava asked as she looked up to Loki, his hair sticking to his neck as he reached past her and adjusted the water to a temperature more to his liking.

The man nodded and brushed his hand over the reddening skin on the woman's shoulders. "You use very hot water. You'll burn yourself."

"I haven't yet."

"You will eventually." He kissed the offended skin as a cooler stream of water flowed over it. "Look after yourself for me."

"And you do the same for me." Was the sure reply. "And let me look after you."

"If you'll do the same."

Ava quieted a little, her conversation with her old friends still fresh in her mind. "Its just us now, isn't it?"

"Was there ever anyone else?" He asked almost rhetorically.

"For me, yes." Her eyes found his. "Now…No."

Her family, her friends, that whole life. It was gone and she did not want it back. The future was all she had now, it was all she had ever had and she just hadn't realized it yet.

Loki saw the brief flicker of concern in her face, the trial of loneliness and risk. "I'm here. I'm not losing you again."

"Nor I you. Just…hold tight, okay? This is it. I've chosen you. Its all for you now."

His nod was sincere, his hold tightening around her waist as he just rested there with Ava for a long moment. It was good to find rest, to just let it all wash away and breathe; to be naked, with naught but what was in your arms.

* * *

_Personally, if Ava were my friend, I'd have told her to cut her losses and move on. But hey. Its her story, not mine. I love exploring her reasoning and her choices regarding Loki. She's definitely chosen a definitive path now. She's not isolated from her parents or good friends (like Sif and her Warriors Three) yet, but I think she feels that way and I dont think she minds. At least not yet. Time will tell. _

_Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and what you think happens next in the story. Its all a big blank possibility from here so I'd love to hear your input. __  
_

_Blessings,_

_P. _


	14. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Time ticked ever on. Thor lived on Midgard with his beloved Jane, and back on Asgard his brother ruled a kingdom under a guise with his own love at his side. Ava went about her business, went about attending all of her lessons and keeping herself busy as she would have done.

But some were concerned. Sif watched the blonde when she trained her combat skills, watched the look on her face. And she was worried. There was no guard on Ava anymore, no one tailing her, no meetings she had to keep. She was, for all intensive purposes, a normal young woman. But she had never been a normal young woman, not since having met Loki.

The warrior approached the woman at the height of winter. They were in an indoor hall, both just sitting beside each other after having come from a training session. Sif practiced with her weapons significantly more than Ava, but there was a camaraderie there. A quiet sense of understanding.

"Are you alright?" Sif asked as she handed the other woman a small cup of wine.

Ava nodded quietly after saying her thanks for the drink. "I am fine. Why do you ask?"

"You just…aren't reacting to Loki's passing as expected."

The blonde blinked and looked at Sif before frowning. "What did you expect?"

"I don't know; you mourned. Again. But now you…" The woman shifted in her seat to turn more openly to her partner. "Ava, its like you expect him to walk around the corner. Its not healthy."

Her heart skipped a beat; not for the mourning, but rather for the fact that maybe she would be a weak link in Loki's plan. "No, no. I don't expect…" Ava looked into her cup silently and held her breath as the sensation of having lost her love washed over her anew. It happened every time she remembered it, every time she thought on it. It made her feel sick to her stomach. "I just know, from those last moments I saw of him, that he'd not have wanted me to do as I did last time."

The last time Ava had walked into the sea without any intention of coming back again. She had looked to the stars and sought to find him no matter the cost. Without knowing it along the way she had been paying more and more and more, and finally she had him back and that was worth more than anything.

Sif watched her friend with a soft, concerned eye. "I just don't want you to get hurt again, Ava."

She had to smile at that; at the genuine nature of her friend. Ava hoped that Sif would remain a friend when Loki eventually revealed himself. "I'll be fine. I suppose I've become rather solitary since…the last time."

"We've all lost so much, and you have lost in ways I cannot imagine."

Ava's expression became sad, nostalgic. She wondered what the girl who met Loki that night at her father's party would have said to the girl who sat beside Sif now. Would she say not to do it if she could have seen the future? All Ava knew was that, if given the choice, she would look back and over the past and tell that girl it was all worth it.

"I miss him." The blonde mentioned. "I miss seeing him. I miss spoiling him with presents and being able to walk hand in hand in the streets. Simple things."

"I know I wasn't Loki's biggest fan, but you did bring out a light in him. He was happy with you."

Ava smiled. "I hope so."

"And Thor is happy with Jane." Sif mentioned, the coolness of her tone undisputed.

"He is; at least for now. She will age and wither. I worry that he will suffer as I did. I do not wish that for anyone."

"The heart suffers for love regardless of the outcome."

"Then why are you so worried about me?" Ava teased, the sadness in her tone evident through the quip.

Sif had to laugh and raised her cup to her friend. "Here. Let us make a toast to broken hearts."

"No." Ava lifted her wine. "Let us toast to well used hearts. Ones that how to love."

The warrior touched the metal of her cup to the woman's with a nod of approval. "Your toils have made you wise. Loki would have been proud."

0.0.0

Loki was proud. He watched Ava move about her life, watched her live as herself without faltering. So many judged her, gossiped, and then turned to her to counsel her in her grief. At the small memorial that 'Odin' had held for his fallen son Ava had been flooded by those who wished to support her, to affirm her love for a man who only days before they had called a villain and traitor.

And she thanked them, not for their words but for finally realizing that Loki had been true to his heart; not foul and dark. He had been lost, not wicked. Betrayed, not evil.

He had observed her steadfastness, her loyalty, and he had to smile at how stubborn she was. She should have left him ages ago; just abandoned ship and saved herself a lot of pain. But she had stayed, and Loki found that he felt himself more richly rewarded in that knowledge than he did from anything else.

He told her so as he stood beside her at the memorial, his disguise not even showing a crack or shimmer of magic. "He'd be proud to see you here, Ava." Loki mentioned in the voice that was not his, in the words that belonged to someone else, but in a way that spoke directly to her from his heart. "And he'd be proud to know you stood by him to the end."

"The end hasn't come yet." Her tone was still. "There is still much to love, much to remember."

"Do not linger in the past, Ava. There is a great future ahead of you."

"But the past has great beauty. I would look upon it fondly."

"The past holds great pain for you too."

"It's the only reason I know its so beautiful. It gives me something to contrast against; there was great suffering, but the rest…was breathtaking."

Odin's face looked to Ava, Loki's eye's saw hers. "He was very lucky." He mentioned steadfastly.

"So was I." She smiled through his façade before looking back over the small gathering of those who had never really known Loki's heart. "So am I."

0.0.0

Yet not all was completely well. The days had a plan, an order, and the nights were something to look forward to. Yet not all of it was kind; not all evenings held pure beauty.

Loki was burdened by memories of what had happened when he fell from the bridge. He was haunted by something Ava could neither imagine nor comprehend.

They were sleeping soundly beside each other, their bodies still, when suddenly the god jolted with a sharp gasp and shifted in his sleep. He said nothing, but he moved listlessly, his jaw clenched and his hands locked into fists.

Ava got a fright whenever it happened. Every time she was unprepared and felt so useless. She sat up quietly and hovered near him, her hands reaching for one of his and peeling his fingers open before placing them over her heart. She then brushed relaxing patterns through his hair, her touch soft and soothing as she murmured his name, whispered for him to wake.

When his eyes opened she would smile quietly and let her lips brush his before he wiped his hand over his face and exhaled roughly.

"I'm sorry." He mentioned.

"No." She shushed him. "No, I'm sorry that I cant be of more help. I feel so useless."

She felt his hand against her skin, felt him gauging her heart and trying to bring his down to a pace that matched hers.

"I'm here." Ava mentioned as she lay beside him again, her head resting beside his and her hand dropping to his shoulder.

He brushed a few hairs from her skin, his thumb tracing the thin blue line of her lifeblood as it pulsed along the curves of her neck. He said nothing, nothing at all. He was just silent.

"Can you tell me about it?"

"No."

She swallowed smally. "Not even a small bit? It might hel-."

"No." He cut her off abruptly, his tone sharpening. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it. I just want…" Loki closed his eyes and grit his teeth. "Just let me be here with you. Please, that's all I want."

Ava nodded. She knew that he would have to face his demons eventually, and that she would be there when he did. It was just a matter of how much those demons had grown by the time they got to them.

Loki drew her nearer, taking comfort in his presence after the memory of a time where he had been completely without her. She was his warmth, his light. Without her he had been bitter, cold. She did not complete him, nor he her, but they brought out something in each other that balanced their lives. Something beautiful. Something eternal.

Loving someone is about loving all of them. Every part; light and dark. You take a risk when you accept all of them. Loving Loki was about loving all of who he was, all of who he thought he was. It hurt sometimes, but everything real did.

Ava lay in his arms for a long minute before mentioning the words that neither of them really wanted to hear. "Do you have to go?"

Loki could hold the magic of Odin slumbering in his chamber, but it only took one mistake to set off a chain reaction. "I don't want to."

"Its not what I asked."

"Not yet." He replied as he took in her scent. He smelled bits of himself against her. How simple it was to lay beside someone, to share a space beside them. How simple and beautiful it was, and how he had missed it.

The blonde felt his stomach pressed taught to hers, felt the motion of his chest with his breath, felt him warm and steady against her. "I worry about this. I worry that this will cause you trouble. I worry that Heimdal suspects.."

"Heimdal did not suspect anything when I snuck the Frost Giants into Asgard." Loki mentioned, his eyes closed and his voice relaxing as he recovered from his nightmare.

"He had no cause to be suspicious."

"And now I'm dead and he his cause has been removed." The tone was more abrupt, more to the point.

"Don't be macabre. You, we, can't risk anything."

"So are you saying we should just stop meeting like this?" The corner of his mouth lifted smugly, his eyes still closed as his hand explored the lines of her shoulder blades.

She had to laugh softly at that comment. "We're never going to stop meeting like this. Even your mother found a way to magic my image to you in the dungeon."

"But this is so much more than just an image…" His fingers grazed ever so gently over the line of her hip and along the soft skin of her leg. "So much more. God I missed you."

Ava smiled and let him bend her limb, bringing the inside of her thigh against the outside of his. She closed her eyes as he kissed her throat, his own grin evident in the way his lips moved along her flesh. But it was so much more than flesh. So much more than bodies against each other. There was, and always had been, so much more than that.

Her hand flattened against his arm, her delight in his happiness evident. "Heimdal still suspects. Or he will; one day he will realize he has a blind spot."

"He has a lot of blind spots." Loki murmured, his kisses leaving her as his tone stilled. "He did not see where I fell, or any of the realms nearby. And this little room in this little corner of Asgard is but a speck on a speck in the great expanse he must gaze over."

"A speck in an eye, no matter how small, is always noticed." Ava ran her fingers through his hair soothingly, her eyes following the motion and admiring the darkness of his colour against hers. "Be careful."

"Always."

"No. Not always." She teased. "You're reckless."

"So are you."

"Only for you."

Loki laughed. He knew exactly what she had been speaking of, and their speck of a speck had been on his mind since the beginning. His magic was exceptional, his powers held, but it only took one mistake.

"We'll both be careful." He pressed his lips to her forehead tenderly, carefully. "This is not permanent. I promise. We will not have to live like this forever."

"Do you keep your promises?" Ava asked in a whisper.

"Eventually." Was the reply. And it was right. "But this one…it shall not have to be kept for all that long."

The blonde looked up and watched Loki, his features lit by the moonlight. She traced her thumb over the shape of his mouth before kissing it. "Jane will grow old. She will die. And then what for Thor?"

The God of Mischief sighed and let his fingers idly shift against the skin behind her knee, his hand steady on her leg before listlessly sliding back up to her hip. "Thor has abdicated. He no longer has the right to rule..." He was silent for a long moment, his next smile brief and dismissive. "Let us not talk on this. We get very little time together and I don't intend to bring politics to bed. You have relaxed me after my nightmare; you have removed the terror and replaced it."

Ava couldn't help but smile, his hand moving to make careful, quieting circles on the small of her back. "I love you. I love you so much. I'm right here, whatever happens."

If they burned they would burn together. Never was she letting go again, and neither was he. The choice had been made; there were no sides anymore, no choices. Whatever happened would happen, and they would face it side by side. Truly.

The man was quiet for a serene moment, her words sinking through him as he closed his eyes to enjoy the way they filtered through his mind. It was like the scent of home, like returning after a long journey to a warm place. He didn't even have to reply; that silence, that quiet between two real lovers…it needs no punctuation or validation.

Ava nodded and fit her forehead into the sharp curve beneath Loki's jaw. They both knew what they were in for. They both knew the angles, the possibilities, the way in which things could change. And they clung to each other as the future loomed like a great, gaping black hole sucking them both into eternity.

* * *

_I am so, so sorry that this took so long to post. Some of you know that I've been unwell and things have been a bit hard for the last week and a bit. The doctors have done a lot of tests and all come back saying I'm healthy, so I'm getting more tests done. I'm fine, I promise that I feel healthy right now. Its just been making finding time to write something good very difficult. hope you like this chapter all the same. _

_The story has a big blank space now - we dont know what's going to happen and probably wont for a few years. So please let me know what you want to have happen, where you want things to go. I wanted this chapter to be about where Loki and Ava are now that the Thor: The Dark World story has ended. They're really bound to each other now; if one goes down they both will. But they're both also survivors. They both suffer some torment from what they have been through and its hard to not be able to be there for that kind of specific pain, especially when you have your own too. _

_Let me know what you thought. I'll be interested to hear from you._

Blessings,  
P. 


End file.
